The website was similarly removed at the start of US President Donald Trump’s first term in 2017
© www.whitehouse.gov The Spanish-language version of the White House website was taken offline on Tuesday, less than 24 hours after Donald Trump’s inauguration as US president. Initially, the error screen included a button that read “go home” before being updated to “go to home page.” The website was similarly taken down at the start of Trump’s first term in 2017, with promises that it would be reinstated. The Spanish version, however, was only revived when President Joe Biden took office in 2021. Now when visitors try to visit the Spanish-language page of the White House website, a 404-error message pops up, with the site indicating “page not found.” Some observers have suggested the initial note “go home” message referenced Trump’s immigration policies. The Spanish-language White House profile on X, @LaCasaBlanca, and a government page on reproductive freedom were also down. However, Spanish versions of other federal agency websites, such as those for the Departments of Labor, Justice, and Agriculture, remain available.
The change drew a backlash from Hispanic advocacy groups. Observers emphasized the importance of maintaining communication with the demographic, which largely contributed to Trump’s electoral success. According to Economist/YouGov polls, Trump’s favorability among Hispanic voters had hit an all-time high of 48% by November 26. The White House said on Tuesday it 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 archived content has gone dormant. We are committed to reloading that content in a short timeline,” White House principal deputy press secretary Harrison Fields said. The website removal coincided with a slew of executive orders Trump signed on his first day back in office on Monday, including decrees on a sweeping illegal immigration crackdown, which was one of his key campaign pledges. Trump declared a national emergency at the US-Mexico border and authorized the US military to draft a plan for sending troops to reinforce the southern border. The US president has also ended automatic birthright citizenship for children born to parents who are neither American citizens nor lawful permanent residents.
