Hours after President Donald Trump took office, the new administration took down the Spanish version of the White House’s official website.
Site — today https://www.whitehouse.gov/es/ — now gives users a “404 error” message. It also included a “go home” button that directed viewers to a page featuring a video montage of Trump during his first term and on the campaign trail. The button was later updated to read “Go to home page”.
Hispanic advocacy groups and others expressed confusion at the sudden change and frustration with what some called the administration’s lack of effort to maintain communication with the Latino community, which helped propel the presidency.
The White House X, @LaCasaBlanca, and the government’s page on reproductive freedom were also taken down. Meanwhile, Spanish-language versions of other government agencies, such as the Department of Labor, Justice and Agriculture, were made available to users on Tuesday.
When asked about the changes, White House press secretary Harrison Fields said Tuesday that the administration is “committed to bringing the Spanish translation section of the website online.”
“It’s the second day. We are developing, editing and fine-tuning the White House website. As part of this ongoing work, some of the archived content on the website went dormant. We are committed to re-uploading that content in a short period of time,” he said without elaborating.
Trump took down the Spanish version of the page in 2017. At the time, White House officials said they would reinstate it. President Joe Biden reset the page in 2021.
The removal of the page coincided with Trump’s the first day’s wave of executive orders he highlighted the launch of repression against illegal immigration, which was one of the main commitments of his campaign. Trump on Monday declared a national emergency along the US-Mexico border and announced plans to send US troops to assist immigration agents and help curb refugee and asylum seekers.
According to 2023 Census Bureau estimates, about 43.4 million Americans—13.7% of the U.S. population age 5 and older—speak Spanish at home. The US does not have an official language.
Monica Rivera, a New York-based brand and communications strategist of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent, said the closure sends a clear signal.
“There are 43 million Latinos who speak Spanish as their first language and taking away access to information directly from the White House draws a different and more dangerous line that they are serving, signals the administration’s MAGA base that Latinos are ‘other’ and a less significant part of this country.” , said Rivera.
Anthony Hernandez, a paralegal in the nation’s capital, was initially unaware of the move and said it hints at what the next few years of a second Trump presidency will look like, with specific issues making headlines when “small but equally nasty things like that go on.” unnoticed.”
“A move like shutting down the Spanish White House page and Profile X serves no other purpose than to cut off resources for the millions of Hispanic Americans and immigrants trying to enter the United States legally,” Hernandez said. “And it’s a slap in the face. They helped millions of Hispanic voters in this last election.”
Trump’s Secretary of State Marco RubioHe is Cuban and speaks Spanish. When he was sworn in on Tuesday, he made remarks in Spanish, thanking God, his family and Trump.
Meanwhile, Hispanic leaders and communications strategists expressed surprise at the page’s removal, given Trump’s popularity among some Latino voters.
“If the White House has a strong interest in engaging with Latinos, the second largest group in this country, it must ensure that updates can also be distributed in Spanish, the language of choice for millions of people in our community,” said President Frankie Miranda. and CEO of the Spanish Federation.
He said it is a way to ensure that “everyone is part of the civic process”.
Kris Klein Hernández, a U.S. historian specializing in race, gender and sexuality at Connecticut College, said removing content from official White House websites not only limits the access available to Spanish-speaking U.S. citizens and immigrants, but “makes some people question the constituency.” the administration prioritizes.”
Jeff Lee, former deputy director of foreign and international affairs for former California Gov. Jerry Brown and former deputy cabinet secretary Jerry Brown, said the move appears counterintuitive by allowing him to “showcase” policy changes, particularly related to the economy and border security.
“I didn’t see the kibosh on the other language support. So I think that’s a really interesting thing to highlight, if that’s the case,” Lee said.
AP VoteCast, a nationwide poll of more than 120,000 voters, found Trump earned a higher share than in 2020 among black and Latino voters, and especially among men under 45. Young Latinos, particularly young Latinos, were also more open to Trump than they were in 2020. Roughly half of young Latinos voted for Democratic Vice President Kamala. Harris, compared to about 6 in 10 who went to Biden.
