Trump adminstration shuts down White House Spanish-language page and social media, briefly adds 'Go Home' button | PBS News
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Politics Jan 22, 2025 9:44 AM EST
Within hours of President Donald Trump's inauguration, the new administration took down the Spanish-language version of the official White House website.
The site — currently https://www.whitehouse.gov/es/ — now gives users an "Error 404" message. It also included a "Go Home" button that directed viewers to a page featuring a video montage of Trump in his first term and on the campaign trail. The button was later updated to read "Go To Home Page".
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Hispanic advocacy groups and others expressed confusion at the abrupt change and frustration at what some called the administration's lack of efforts to maintain communication with the Latino community, which helped propel him to the presidency.
The Spanish profile of the White House' X, @LaCasaBlanca and the government page on reproductive freedom also were disbanded. Meanwhile, the Spanish versions of other government agencies such as the Department of Labor, Justice and Agriculture remained available for users on Tuesday.
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Asked about the changes, White House principal deputy press secretary Harrison Fields responded Tuesday that the administration is "committed to bringing back online the Spanish translation section of the website."
"It's day two. We are in the process of developing, editing and tweaking the White House website. As part of this ongoing work, some of the archived content on the website went dormant. We are committed to reloading that content in a short timeline," he said without elaborating.
Trump removed the Spanish version of the page in 2017. At that time, White House officials said they would reinstate it. President Joe Biden reinstated the page in 2021.
The page's removal coincided with Trump's first-day wave of executive orders highlighted by the launch of an illegal immigration crackdown that was one of his key campaign pledges. Trump on Monday declared a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border and announced plans to send U.S. troops to help support immigration agents and restrict refugees and asylum.
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 U.S. has no official language.
Monica Rivera, a brand and communications strategist in New York City of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent, said the shutdown sends a clear signal.
"There are 43 million Latinos who speak Spanish as their first language and removing access to information directly from the White House draws a distinct line as to who they are serving and more dangerously, signals to the administration's MAGA base that we as Latinos are 'other' and a less significant part of this country," Rivera said.
Anthony Hernandez, a paralegal in the nation's capital, wasn't initially aware of the move and said it suggests what the coming years of a second Trump presidency would look like, with specific issues making headlines while "minor but equally malicious things like that go unnoticed."
"A move like shutting down the Spanish White House page and X profile serves no purpose other than to cut off resources for millions of Hispanic Americans and immigrants attempting to enter the United States legally," Hernandez said. "And it's a slap in the face to the millions of Hispanic voters that supported him in this recent election."
Trump's secretary of state, Marco Rubio, is Cuban American and speaks Spanish. At his swearing-in Tuesday, he gave remarks in Spanish, thanking God, his family and Trump.
Meanwhile, Hispanic leaders and communication strategy experts expressed surprise with the page's removal, given Trump's popularity with certain Latino voters.
"If the White House is seriously interested in engaging with Latinos, the second largest group in this country, then they need to make sure that updates can also be distributed in Spanish, a preferred language for millions in our community," said Frankie Miranda President and CEO of the Hispanic Federation.
He called that a way to ensure "everyone is a part of the civic process."
Kris Klein Hernandez, a U.S. historian specializing in race, gender, and sexuality at Connecticut College, said the content removal from official White House websites not only limits the access available to Spanish-speaking U.S. citizens and migrants but leads "some to question which constituencies the administration prioritizes."
Jeff Lee, former deputy cabinet secretary and deputy director of external and international affairs for former California Gov. Jerry Brown, said the move seems counterintuitive given the opportunity to "showcase" policy changes, especially ones related to economics and border security.
"I didn't see any other language mediums that got the kibosh. So I think that's a really interesting thing to single out — if that's the case," Lee said.
AP VoteCast, a nationwide survey of more than 120,000 voters, found Trump won a larger share of Black and Latino voters than he did in 2020, and most notably among men under age 45. Young Latinos, particularly young Latino men, also were more open to Trump than in 2020. Roughly half of young Latino men voted for Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, compared with about 6 in 10 who went for Biden.
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Fernanda Figueroa, Associated Press Fernanda Figueroa, Associated Press
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So, it’s not the first time a Trump administration has given the finger to Spanish speakers.
Exactly, and yet, these voters are shocked that he did it. C'mon people, did you not know for whom you voted?
So many of the Latin community voted for him. I guess this is his big "thank-you" to them
looks like I'll be headed off to prison soon. 3 of my extended family members just had their political asylum hearings cancelled after waiting 3.5 years. if they get deported, I'll be forced to demonstrate very aggressive attitudes towards maga and chinese nationals.
Oh, no. I'm so sorry
no need for that, trump has made assaulting law enforcement officers over political differences legal now ...
Morning...hmmm that sounds a bit grim after waiting all that time..
Can they apply through another country etc..
Where are they originally from?
they both had government jobs in an unstable south american country that isn't mexico and I won't be naming it here. they had to leave with the clothes on their backs at night after he was threatened by his superior, and a chinese official, for not destroying some files and accepting a bribe to issue an illegal gov't permit his superior was unwilling to file for the chinese in his own name. we supported them for over a year and a half waiting thru the backlog just so they could get the gov't documents issued to get a job. they've both held down full time jobs since they were allowed to do so and have been law abiding, independent, and self-sustaining in their own home for almost 2 years.
I keep hearing that if they enter the right way it’s ok. Well, I guess many people don’t understand that if they have all the clearances and have done things legally it doesn’t mean shit.
A sad case, Devan and I expect to see hundreds if not thousands of the same thing happen again and again.
Political asylum holds far more weight here than almost any other claim..
If it all turns to crap there would certainly be looking at other countries...if it is granted else where and even if they have to wait awhile they maybe able re apply in the States etc?? That's something you would certainly have to look into..
They are very lucky you are there for support and also sound exactly the type of people this country needs..so would certainly keep that in the back of your mind if push comes to shove...
Besides we are only a 16 hour plane flight away.. might get Vegemite into your family yet...
Hope it all works for them and they continue to prosper and contribute to their adopted country..
America's gain their home countries loss..
They would be in a precarious situation if they were deported back to that country
Can I come to your country if I claim mental asylum?
you'll have to show a comprehension of their language first ...
LOL!
Have you not been paying attention to Shona? I have.
I'd like to go only because I hear everything there will kill ya. It'll be an adventure trying to stay alive
I've been watching youtube videos from oz ...
I lived there for a number of years all my family still lives there and we have not lost a single person, well except Dward who went missing a few years back in the Kakadu, we figure he is still alive though so he doesn’t count.
On Feb 4th Red and I are headed to OZ for a couple of months or maybe longer and I have no fear of being eaten/poisned by anything there except bad vegimite.
Have a very good time!
grasshopper food that requires refrigeration...
The examples of political stupidity will be endless now.
One Congressman called for Bishop Budde to be deported in spite of the Trump's struggle with protecting free speech...and she was born in New Jersey. How dare she ask for fair treatment for LGBTQ in her inauguration invocation!
As in response, Trump issues an EO that the entire government redo all documents to reflect only male or female.
Any and all training for hiring or DEI has been cancelled; many of the employees have already been furloughed with pay
and can only hope to be reassigned. State and Justice are being gutted of all experienced leaders; the litmus test is apparently
whether they spoke poorly about Trump in the past. General Milley's portrait was hung at the Pentagon on January 10, 2025 and
removed within an hour after the inauguration.
And the sycophants cannot see the similarities to other "autocrats".
He's sticking his toe into the authoritarian waters to see how it feels. If its not too hot he may proceed.
Trump wants to be Orban and isnt sure how it will play here. He will work his way up to it.
I expect nothing less of the Trump Retribution Parade. I'm sure, if some future Dem Admin starts removing portraits for Trump and other similar shit the MAGA faithful will try to storm the Capital Building again.
The only way to get a federal job now is to practice those three things
there's a couple more, but this is a family forum ...
Since when?
... you need to take a walk on the wild side. I hear it all the time after I'm reprimanded ...
They won't until a bayonet is stuck up their hoo-yaa.
... where it belongs.
He only pandered to Hispanic and a black voters to get in office, he doesn't need them now. What are they going to do?
He knows with the Supreme Court giving him absolute immunity for acts in office that nobody can stop him.
He openly declared "Dictator on Day One" and now that's exactly what we all got.
If he was serious about making a shock and awe splash in the news sending ICE into businesses why not start with restaurants, meat packing plants, Big AG farms, big cattle ranches, or lawn care companies.
No they are not going to the major employers of illegals for cheap labor. Those employers are getting a FREE PASS.
Instead they want to make a show in "blue" states and threaten churches and schools by stoking fear in residents that have nothing to do with the actual problem. They boast about how many they are supposedly picking up in these blue states but never reveal how many were let go because they were American citizens, or how many had legal reason to be here.
Why brag about picking up 300 or so "suspected" illegals when they can visit any Big AG or big cattle ranch or meat packing plant and post way larger number for the benefit of MAGA zealots?
The reason why is all those massive businesses donate to Republicans and get a free pass.
Those places need workers so trmp can his well done steak covered in ketchup
trump supporters will be the most affected by the mass exodus of undocumented workers ... ... tough shit maga.
Yes, they will and deservedly so.
no shit. those morons can fuck off ...
You mean immunity for enforcing the law?
You don't think the DOL is looking into them?
"Blue" states publicly announced that they would house illegals. Did you forget about the "Sanctuary City" policies they passed? That's their own stupidity. To pick up the illegals you go to where they are. Schools, churches, doesn't matter.
It shows that they are enforcing the law. You know, unlike the Biden administration.
... the laws maga doesn't find threatening or inconvenient to the criminal/traitor in the white house ...
So you had no real response.
I had a sarcastic response, which is usually lost [.][✘]
Even after subtracting the illegals there are 60 or 70 million Americans of hispanic heritage. Trump insults them on a daily basis as seen through this stunt. Maybe one day they will say "shove it" to him.
You mean before his next election LOL.
Oops.
Now...if that man is an illegal he couldn't have voted. But according to some on here illegals can vote...so....
draw your own conclusions
only the most willfully ignorant members think that ...
jes sayin'
I might put that image on a tee shirt.
I think you could make a pretty penny with that shirt
I just hope that he continues to faithfully wear it wherever he’s going.
The irony here has to hurt
it was a free shirt. I talked to a VP of sales for a tijuana t-shirt silk screener about 6 years ago that told me those "biden, let us in", or whatever, t-shirts the migrant caravan people were wearing, while walking and waiting in mexico to enter the US were all paid for by maga republican politcal operatives here in the states and his company made a fortune producing them. it's all about the optics when you're dealing with gullible maga morons.