Opinion: Make English Great Again!

Last year, I walked into a Denny’s in California, hungry for a Grand Slam, only to find the menus were entirely in Spanish. No English option. In my own country, I couldn’t order a meal without fumbling through a language I don’t speak. That moment crystallized why I’m pro-English-only: we need a common language to function as a nation.

On February 28, 2025, it was announced, President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order designating English as the official language of the United States—a victory I’ve been pushing for since day one of his term. As soon as Trump was inaugurated, I started posting @ his social media and the official White House account, rallying for a “Make English Great Again” movement. Today, he is delivering.

Designating English as the official language would primarily apply to the federal government. Executive orders are directives issued by the President to manage the operations of the executive branch, which includes federal agencies and departments. They do not inherently have the force of law over states unless they are tied to specific federal funding conditions or regulations that states must follow to receive federal support.

States could be indirectly affected if they rely on federal funding tied to compliance with this order. For example, if federal grants or programs previously required multilingual services and now prioritize English, states might need to adjust their own policies to maintain eligibility—or find alternative funding sources.

That said, states have their own sovereignty under the U.S. Constitution (via the Tenth Amendment), and many already designate English as their official language independently (over 30 states have done so). The order doesn’t override state laws or force states to adopt English as their official language; it governs federal conduct.

Critics of the order cry marginalization, fearing non-English speakers will lose out. Some call the executive order “xenophobic”.

My Denny’s moment wasn’t about hating Spanish or Spanish speaking people; it was about needing English to navigate daily life in America. I’m pro-English-only because I’ve seen the chaos without it. Immigrants coming to America should assimilate by mastering English—reading, writing, speaking it.