Sarah Palin Says ‘Speak American,’ Calls For A ‘Unifying Language’ [Video]
Sarah Palin is in the news for her controversial “speak American” comment, which she made on CNN’s State of the Union show. Despite stuttering over her words as a rallying cry for American unity, Sarah Palin stated she thinks everyone should “speak American,” regardless of their native language.
When she appeared on CNN’s State of the Union, former Alaska governor Sarah Palin called for a “unifying language,” making the point that a nation needs a single language that all people can speak and understand, reports the Guardian.
Sarah Palin on CNN: If you're in America, 'speak American' (too bad English isn't the set language for America!) pic.twitter.com/ZbRQSPTFMu
— Affinity Magazine (@TheAffinityMag) September 6, 2015
Sarah made her statements shortly after Donald Trump and Jeb Bush debated over the same subject. Trump, the front liner for the Republican nomination for the November 2016 election, recently stated, “We’re a nation that speaks English.”
Addressing concerns that the Republican Party “often appears cold and unwelcoming to minorities,” Sarah Palin replied that she doesn’t know any Republican “who would have that in their heart,” reports CNN. While Sarah believes immigrants should “speak American,” she isn’t about being divisive. Palin continued that the Republican party wants to bring “people in together, standing together, putting America first, even in terms of the culture.”
Like Trump, Sarah Palin praises Bush for his ability to speak two languages, but firmly believes that anyone wanting to be an American should “speak American,” according to CNN. Palin explained that “a unifying aspect of a nation is the language that is understood by all.”
‘You want to be in America, speak American,’ Sarah Palin tells immigrants http://t.co/IQCa2mjg6X pic.twitter.com/YjE1oYtkkk
— RT America (@RT_America) September 7, 2015
“It’s a benefit of Jeb Bush to be able to be so fluent in Spanish,” Sarah Palin began, reports the Guardian. She continued “because we have a large and wonderful Hispanic population that is helping to build America.” Like a lot of Trump’s supporters, however, Sarah Palin asserts that English should be the unifying language of the American population.
“On the other hand, you know, I think we can send a message and say: ‘You want to be in America? A, you better be here legally, or you’re out of here. B, when you’re here, let’s speak American.'”
The speech Palin delivered comes after a September 3 speech by Jeb Bush, who said that people shouldn’t only “speak American” in the United States. According to the Guardian, Bush claims he will speak Spanish whenever he wants. During her speech, Palin recalled she studied two languages in high school and ended up without a firm understanding of either.
Sarah explained that she took Spanish and “I took French… Shouldn’t have taken them both, because I got them all mixed up by the time I was graduating.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHkgo41yrpI
[Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images]
