The administration says sign language services “intrude” on Trump’s ability to control his image

The Trump administration argues that requiring real-time American Sign Language interpretation for events such as White House press briefings “would grossly encroach on the president’s powers to control the image he presents to the public,” part of a lawsuit seeking to require the White House to provide the services.

Justice Department lawyers did not explain how this might hamper the image President Donald Trump seeks to present to the public. But reversing diversity, equity and inclusion policies became a hallmark of his second administration, starting in his first week in the White House.

He watches: A history of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in America

The National Association of the Deaf sued the Trump administration in May, arguing that halting American Sign Language interpretation — which the Biden administration has regularly used — represented “depriving hundreds of thousands of deaf Americans of meaningful access to real-time White House communications on various issues of national and international importance.” The group also filed a lawsuit during the first Trump administration, seeking American Sign Language translations of briefings related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a June court filing opposing the association’s request for a preliminary injunction, Politico reported Thursday, Justice Department lawyers argued that requiring them to provide sign language interpretation for news conferences “would severely infringe on the president’s right to control the image he presents to the public,” and that the president has the “privilege to shape his administration’s image and messaging as he sees fit,” they wrote.

Government lawyers have also argued that it provides the hearing-impaired or deaf community other ways to access the president’s statements, such as transcripts of online events, or closed captions. The administration also said it would be difficult to argue for such favors if Trump spontaneously took questions from the press, rather than in a formal news conference.

A White House spokesperson did not immediately comment Friday on the ongoing lawsuit or answer questions about the administration’s argument regarding the destruction of Trump’s “image” interpretation services.

In their filing in June, government lawyers questioned whether other branches of government would be held to similar standards if they did not provide the same interpretation services requested by the association.

As home to Gallaudet University, the world’s premier college for the deaf and hard of hearing, Washington likely has a large pool of American Sign Language-trained interpreters from whom the White House can draw. Mayor Muriel Bowser has made American Sign Language interpretation a mainstay of her appearance, including a pair of interpreters who switch in and out.

Last month, a federal judge overruled that and other objections from the government, issuing an order requiring the White House to provide real-time American Sign Language translations of Trump and Levitt’s remarks. The White House has appealed the ruling, and while the administration has begun providing American Sign Language interpretation at some events, there is disagreement over what services it should provide.

In his first week back in office, Trump signed a sweeping executive order putting an end to diversity, equity and inclusion programs across the US government. Putting his stamp on the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in January issued an order stating that DEI policies were “incompatible” with the department’s mission.

This week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered diplomatic correspondence to return to the more traditional Times New Roman font, arguing that the Biden administration’s 2023 switch to the sans serif Calibri font arose from his predecessor’s misguided diversity, equity and inclusion policies.