Trump White House appeals ASL interpreters order, plans separate feed and excludes emergencies
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Today on November 7, the Trump administration said they are appealing the injunction issued on November 4 that required them to provide ASL interpreters for all press briefings conducted by the President or the White House Press Secretary that are captured by White House communication channels.

The White House said they believe the court legally erred. They said they would comply with the order to provide ASL interpreters only if the court accepts their interpretation of what they have to do.

The White House said they are working to establish a publicly accessible channel showing ASL interpretation that would be provided simultaneously with every press briefing, subject to the injunction.

The White House said they continue to retain ASL interpretive services under an existing blanket purchase agreement that remains in effect through March 2028 and explained that this agreement requires the White House to give 24 hours’ notice to the (interpreting agency) for any requested services and if they cannot get an interpreter even with a 24-hours notice, they will publish the ASL interpretation as soon as they can.

The White House said the court ordered for ASL interpreters to be provided during publicly announced press briefings and that it is their understanding that this does not include other events like a ceremony or a speech by the President where he may take questions from the press. The White House also said if they do an emergency press briefing, it would be with less than 24 hours’ notice and this wouldn’t be considered a “publicly announced” event.

The White House asked the court to let them know if they had misunderstood the original scope of the court’s injunction, and if they are incorrect and that they have to provide ASL interpreters for more events, it would bring logistical difficulties that might require them to seek a stay pending appeal.

So, the White House is going to provide ASL interpreters, but they won’t provide it for all of their major events because they say some are not considered to be “press briefings.” They also won’t commit to providing an interpreter for emergencies because it’s less than 24 hours’ notice, which they cannot do with their ASL interpreter services (contracted agencies). I want to note here that during the Biden administration, they provided ASL interpreters for all major events and press briefings — meaning if Biden gave a speech or if there was an emergency, the Biden administration usually provided an interpreter on their channels. The Trump administration is not willing to do this.

Another thing to note is that during the Biden administration, they provided ASL interpreters on their main White House feed. The Trump administration said they would create a separate public video feed for the ASL interpreters. I’m not sure how that will work and whether that will make it difficult for deaf citizens to find the ASL interpretation.

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