White House says it didn't create a banned word list, leaves language choices up to agencies

The White House does not have a list of banned words that are restricted from use in official documents and instead gives discretion of word use to individual agencies.

President Donald Trump joined by women athletes signs the "No Men in Women’s Sports" executive order in the East Room at the White House on Feb. 5, 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

A handful of the executive orders rescinded Biden-era policies, such as ending DEI programs that were woven into the fabric of the federal government during his term. 

The New York Times reported that about 250 words were removed from the Trump administration's lexicon or used with discretion. The list included a handful of words that could defy Trump's executive orders on trans issues and DEI, including: "they/them," "breastfeed + people," "antiracist," "people + uterus" or "confirmation bias." 

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The Biden administration, for example, used the phrase "birthing people" instead of "mothers" in a 2022 budget proposal before the phrase — and similar ones such as "menstruators" — were used by other federal officials and agencies.  (Jon Elswick/Associated Press)

Presidential administrations have a long history of adjusting the language used in their official documents and external communications in an effort to realign the federal government with the administration's policies and vision for the future. 

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The Biden administration, for example, used the phrase "birthing people" instead of "mothers" in a 2022 budget proposal before the phrase — and similar ones such as "menstruators" — were used by other federal officials and agencies. The Obama administration favored the phrase "undocumented immigrants" versus "illegal immigrant" in official text and presidential speeches.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/white-house-says-didnt-create-banned-word-list-leaves-language-choices-up-agencies