Shortly after President Donald Trump took office, the new administration eliminated the Spanish-language version of the official White House website.
The site, which previously catered to Spanish-speaking users, now displays an “Error 404” message. A button that once redirected users to a page featuring video highlights of Trump’s first term has since been updated to say “Go To Home Page.”
This abrupt transition has left Hispanic advocacy groups perplexed and frustrated, highlighting a perceived lack of engagement with the Latino community that significantly contributed to Trump’s election.
The Spanish-language profiles on the White House’s X account, @LaCasaBlanca, as well as the government’s page on reproductive rights, have also been removed. However, Spanish versions of several other government agency sites — including those of the Departments of Labor, Justice, and Agriculture — remain accessible.
When questioned about these changes, White House principal deputy press secretary Harrison Fields stated that the administration is focused on restoring the Spanish 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 archived content became dormant. We are dedicated to reload that content soon,” he said, without providing additional details.
This isn’t the first time the Spanish version of the site has been removed; it was taken down in 2017, with promises of reinstatement that were fulfilled by President Joe Biden in 2021.
The removal of the Spanish page coincides with Trump’s flurry of executive orders on his first day, among them a crackdown on illegal immigration — a key campaign pledge. On that day, Trump declared a national emergency regarding the U.S.-Mexico border and announced troop deployments to support immigration enforcement while tightening restrictions on refugees and asylum seekers.
As per 2023 Census Bureau estimates, approximately 43.4 million Americans, or 13.7% of individuals aged 5 and older in the U.S., communicate in Spanish at home. Notably, the nation lacks an official language.
Brand strategist Monica Rivera, who has ties to Puerto Rico and Cuba, expressed concern that the discontinuation of the Spanish language website sends a detrimental message regarding representation.
“With 43 million Latinos speaking Spanish as their first language, the removal of direct access to information from the White House establishes a clear division about whom they serve and dangerously conveys to the administration’s MAGA base that Latinos are ‘other’ and portrayed as less significant in this country,” Rivera stated.
Similarly, Anthony Hernandez, a paralegal in Washington, D.C., remarked that the move raises questions about how a second Trump administration would operate, causing “minor but equally malicious issues like this to slip under the radar.”
“Shuttering the Spanish White House page serves no other purpose than to restrict resources for millions of Hispanic Americans and immigrants seeking legal pathways into the U.S. This is also a disrespect to the many Hispanic voters who backed him recently,” Hernandez added.
Trump’s Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who is of Cuban descent and fluent in Spanish, expressed gratitude in Spanish during his swearing-in, thanking God, family, and Trump.
The removal of the page has surprised many Hispanic leaders and communication strategists, especially considering Trump’s appeal among specific Latino demographics.
Frankie Miranda, President and CEO of the Hispanic Federation, emphasized, “If the White House genuinely wants to engage with Latinos, the second largest demographic in the country, it’s essential to ensure that updates are also communicated in Spanish, which is the preferred language for millions in our communities.”
He argued that doing so is crucial to ensuring inclusivity in civic processes.
Kris Klein Hernández, a U.S. historian focusing on race, gender, and sexuality, pointed out that eliminating content from official channels not only restricts access for Spanish-speaking citizens and migrants but also raises questions about which groups the administration prioritizes.
Jeff Lee, a former deputy cabinet secretary for California, noted that this decision seems counterproductive given the potential to highlight policy changes, particularly in economic and border security matters.
“I didn’t notice any other languages being eliminated. It’s intriguing that Spanish was singled out,” Lee remarked.
A national survey, AP VoteCast, tracking over 120,000 voters, indicated that Trump had gained a larger percentage of Black and Latino votes compared to the 2020 election, with younger Latino men demonstrating greater openness toward Trump this time around.
Roughly half of young Latino men cast their votes for Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, contrasting with around 60% who had supported Biden.
