The Trump adminsitration is begging the courts to let them stop providing this basic service, arguing it destroys his ‘prerogative to control the image’

The Trump administration is fighting hard in court to stop providing real-time American Sign Language interpretation for White House events, arguing that the service actually hurts the president’s ability to control his public image, as per AP News. This is a truly wild argument, and I have to say, it’s baffling why providing basic accessibility ruins an image.

In a court filing opposing a request for a preliminary injunction, Department of Justice attorneys argued that being required to provide sign language interpretation for news conferences “would severely intrude on the President’s prerogative to control the image he presents to the public.” They further wrote that the president has “the prerogative to shape his Administration’s image and messaging as he sees fit.” AI-generated videos from official White House accounts are alright, though.

The Justice Department attorneys have not elaborated on how adding an interpreter might actually hamper the portrayal President Donald Trump seeks to present to the public. This legal drama stems from a lawsuit filed by the National Association for the Deaf (NAD). The NAD argues that stopping the interpretation services is effectively “denying hundreds of thousands of deaf Americans meaningful access to the White House’s real-time communications on various issues of national and international import.”

This is a direct attack from the Trump administration on accessibility, which is in line with its stance on DEI

This is a major issue because the previous administration had used ASL interpretation regularly, so this move represents a clear step back for accessibility. The group had also sued during President Trump’s first administration, specifically seeking ASL interpretation for briefings related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The government is trying to say that this service isn’t even necessary because they offer other ways for the Deaf or hard-of-hearing community to access the information. Administration attorneys point to online transcripts of events or closed captioning as sufficient alternatives. They also claimed it would be super difficult to get interpreters ready if President Trump spontaneously decides to take questions from the press, especially if it’s not a formal briefing.

Fortunately, a federal judge wasn’t buying those objections last month. The judge issued an order that requires the White House to provide real-time ASL interpreting for remarks made by President Trump and Leavitt. The White House, predictably, has appealed that ruling. While the administration has started providing ASL interpreting at some events, there’s still disagreement over exactly what services they need to supply.

This whole lawsuit fits right into a much larger trend we’ve seen since President Trump returned to office. Overturning policies related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has become a major hallmark of his second administration, starting right in his first week back. He signed a sweeping executive order putting a stop to DEI programs across the entire U.S. government.

We’ve seen other departments follow suit, too. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued an order in January stating that DEI policies were “incompatible” with the Pentagon’s mission. And just this week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered diplomatic correspondence to switch back to the more traditional Times New Roman font, arguing that the previous administration’s 2023 shift to the sans-serif Calibri font was misguided and emerged from those same DEI policies.