Trump also took an axe to the federal government, slashing jobs and hobbling the federal government’s ability to provide critical services, such as Social Security assistance and weather forecasting.
He also made good on his pledge to be a dictator, targeting law firms in an effort to scare the legal community out of trying to block his illegal actions and defend the enemies he’s trying to punish. And he’s thrust the country into a full-blown constitutional crisis by ignoring court orders.
President Donald Trump signed the order, which was given in advance to Breitbart News, Monday evening. The order directs unqualified Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to “rescind and replace guidance to strengthen inspection procedures for compliance with English proficiency requirements.” “We're gonna ensure that our truckers, who are the backbone of our policy, are all able to speak English,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a press conference Monday.
This is not the first time Trump signed an order demanding people in the United States to speak English. In March, he signed another order that designates English as the official language of the United States. “To promote unity, cultivate a shared American culture for all citizens, ensure consistency in government operations, and create a pathway to civic engagement, it is in America’s best interest for the Federal Government to designate one — and only one — official language,” the order said.
But this new order is directly aimed at the trucking industry, which supported Trump by large margins in the 2024 election. Of course, whether or not drivers speak English should be the least of the trucking industry’s worries now.
Experts are warning that, due to Trump’s idiotic tariffs, armageddon is coming for the trucking industry as companies are pausing orders for imported goods.
Apollo Global Management, a U.S. asset management company, released a forecast predicting that, by mid to late May, trucking demand will “come to a halt,” resulting in mass layoffs by late May or early June. Already, ports are seeing fewer cargo ships arrive with goods, which truckers would then be responsible for distributing to retail stores and warehouses across the country. Compared to last year, Port of Los Angeles import volumes are projected to decline 11% this week and a whopping 31% next week. And a major port in Seattle, Washington, had no cargo ships docked on Friday.
“One of my fears is that the local trucking community is going to be the first to be impacted by these changes,” Jeff Bellerud, chief operating officer at the Northwest Seaport Alliance that oversees the operations at the port, told the Seattle Times. And Craig Fuller, CEO of FreightWaves, which covers the freight and logistics industry, said that more pain is coming for truckers. "Trucking volumes have collapsed to near pre-COVID levels. Unfortunately, for truckers, the worst is yet to come. With imports deteriorating, volumes are expected to fall by another 3-4% over the next month,” he wrote on X.
Even the truck manufacturing industry is impacted, with Mack Trucks announcing earlier this month that it will lay off between 250 and 350 workers as a result of Trump's tariffs.
