President Donald Trump has declared English the official language of the United States, saying it will contribute to the cohesion of the country, which is characterised by immigration from around the world.

The White House issued a Trump decree saying it was "long past time" for English to be declared the country's official language.

"A nationally defined language is the foundation of a united and cohesive society, and the United States is strengthened by citizens who can freely exchange ideas in a common language," the document reads.

The order overturns a 1990s presidential mandate under President Bill Clinton requiring federal agencies and agencies receiving federal funding to provide assistance to non-English speakers.

Under the new document, agencies would still have flexibility to decide how much assistance to offer in languages other than English.

"Nothing in this order ... requires or directs a change in the services provided by any agency," the order reads.

It adds that agency heads are empowered to determine what is necessary "to carry out the mission of their respective agencies and to provide effective government services to the American people."

In his first weeks in office, Trump has issued a whole series of executive orders attempting to impose his right-wing stamp on the country.

However, many of his orders have been challenged in court, particularly when they seek to rescind federal funding approved by Congress.

While the White House acknowledges that more than 350 languages are spoken in the United States, the order states that English has been the language of the nation "since the founding of our republic" and that "our nation's historic governing documents, including the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, have been written in English."

According to 2019 US government data, nearly 68 million people speak a language other than English at home. While English is far from the majority language in the country, it is estimated that over 40 million people in America speak Spanish at home. In addition to other immigrant groups, including Chinese and Vietnamese, the complex U.S. language landscape includes dozens of Native American languages. |BГNES