After the February 8, 2026 Super Bowl, President Donald Trump criticized the halftime show featuring the Spanish-speaking Bad Bunny. Trump said the show was “absolutely terrible” and “Nobody understands a word this guy is saying.” The “understanding” quip may have been true for him and recent U.S. presidents, but throughout history, presidents have had greater command of languages than the general population. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that about 68 million Americans (around 20%) spoke a language other than English at home in 2019. Only one president, Martin Van Buren, had non-English (Dutch) as his first language.
Twenty of the forty-five (44%) presidents spoke a second language, but proficiency in a second language ranges from being able to ask directions or answer simple questions, to communicating with patient listeners, to conversing and writing fluently, and to translating for others. John Quincy Adams, at age 14, went to Russia as the translator for Francis Dana, the American Minister to Russia. He translated into French, the official language of the Russian court. Quincy, who spoke 8 languages, was linguistically the most proficient president. He attended the Amsterdam Latin School and earned a degree from the University of Leyden. Because of his knowledge of Dutch, President Washington appointed him Minister to the Netherlands. He later was a professor of rhetoric at Harvard.
Fourteen presidents knew Latin, the most popular foreign language, probably because it was a required subject in many schools until modern times. Only 2 of the Latin learners, Herbert Hoover and Franklin Roosevelt, lived in the twentieth century. Greek was the second most common foreign language; it was also frequently taught in schools in the nineteenth century. French was the most common living language, with 7 presidents proficient in it: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, and the two Roosevelts. William Henry Harrison spoke French but was not well. The presidents who knew German included John Quincy Adams, James Garfield, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Franklin Roosevelt. Bill Clinton studied German at Georgetown University. Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams, Jimmy Carter, and George W. Bush knew Spanish to varying degrees. Only three 3 (Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams, and Theodore Roosevelt) spoke some Italian. James Madison and James Garfield studied Hebrew as part of their studies for the ministry. Thomas Jefferson spoke some Arabic; Herbert Hoover spoke but did not write Mandarin.Only John Quincy Adams spoke Russian, and Barack Obama spoke Indonesian while he was growing up there.
George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Ulysses Grant, Grover Cleveland, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, William Taft, Warren Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden spoke only English.
Using a second language to communicate opens a window for good relations. As police commissioner in 1895-96, Theodore Roosevelt had to enforce a law that banned saloons on Sunday, enraging laborers who worked long hours, 6 days a week. Roosevelt quieted angry Germans by speaking to them in their own language. He and James Garfield campaigned in German. On July 31, 1936, Franklin Roosevelt addressed the Canadian and Quebec governments in French.
Language is the foundation of understanding; it allows entry into another’s culture, life experiences, and very soul. It is fun trying to communicate in another language, and the endearment engendered is gratifying. One of John Kennedy’s most famous lines came after he was given the keys to the city of Berlin. He replied, “Ich bin ein Berliner.” Although Kennedy was no polyglot, his attempt won the hearts of the German people and made Americans proud.