Taco Bell Agua Refrescas clearly violate Trump's English-only directive
In an obvious and provocative violation of President Donald Trump's executive order declaring English the official language of the United States, the fast-food restaurant chain Taco Bell has introduced new drinks called 'Agua Refrescas.'
Excuse me, Taco Bell, have you heard of a little thing called 'the law'? Because I'm pretty sure you're breaking it by offering Americans thirst-quenching strawberry and passionfruit mocktails under a name that is decidedly not English.
Back in March, the great and powerful President Trump issued an executive order insisting that all Americans speak American, noting: "Establishing English as the official language will not only streamline communication but also reinforce shared national values, and create a more cohesive and efficient society.'
Why does Taco Bell hate America and Donald Trump?
Apparently, Taco Bell doesn't want a more cohesive and efficient society. The company would prefer to pour its delicious, radical, multilingual ideology down the throats of thirsty Americans by forcing them to order Agua Refrescas.
NO THANK YOU, MR. BELL, IF THAT IS YOUR REAL NAME!
Agua Refrescas are not an acceptable MAGA beverage
On July 14, Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a memo to federal agencies telling them to start getting rid of 'unnecessary multilingual offerings' and saying 'the Department of Justice will lead a coordinated effort to minimize non-essential multilingual services' and 'redirect resources toward English-language education and assimilation.'
While the memo does not reference fast-food beverage nomenclature, I'm pretty sure it applies, as everyone knows the quickest path to assimilation is a shared love of iced mango/peach concoctions made with what USA TODAY calls 'real freeze-dried fruit pieces and green tea.'
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My reporting for this column took me to Google Translate, which helped decipher the mysterious foreign meaning of each word in Taco Bell's controversial, possibly anti-MAGA new beverage. First, the word 'agua' means 'water.' And the word 'refresca' means 'refresh.'
So why, I ask, did Taco Bell officials decide to call these drinks Agua Refrescas instead of giving them a fun, patriotic, roll-off-the-tongue name like Water Refresh?
Is Taco Bell violating the law with a non-English beverage name?
The Taco Bell menu already contains a slew of good, traditionally American English words like 'double beef,' 'three cheese,' 'loaded,' and 'Crunchwrap.' And because I enjoy eating them, I will assume 'taco' and 'burrito' are English words as well.
So is it too much to ask that a U.S. fast-food chain allow its customers to come in and order five cheesy double beef burritos and a 20-oz. Dragonfruit Berry Water Refresh, like real damn Americans?!?
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The long, radical history of aguas frescas
Further reporting revealed that agua refrescas stem from a classic Mexican beverage called agua fresca, which Texas Monthly described as having been 'culturally important for a long time—so important that they were immortalized in Édouard Pingret's 1852 painting Vendedora de aguas frescas.'
I don't know what most of those words mean, but I do know that Taco Bell's Agua Refrescas are transparently anti-American. A recent Los Angeles Times headline read: 'These street vendors used their aguas frescas to fight tear gas at anti-ICE protests.'
What patriot wants to be caught dead drinking a beverage that could ward off the tear-gas-masked ICE agents who disperse while they're grabbing random people off the streets and sending them to foreign prisons without due process? Not me, I'll tell you that much.
If Taco Bell won't comply with Trump's English-only order, it must go
Look, I believe in every American's right to pursue gastrointestinal distress, but I will not sit idly by while Taco Bell insults President Trump and his English-only executive order with this new drink. The man is busy trying to make life difficult for people who don't look and sound exactly like me, and no deliciously fruity beverage should slow his xenophobic crusade.
It's time to shut down Taco Bell, Mr. President. We can't Make America Great Again while sipping Marxist mocktails called Agua Refrescas. That would be no bueno ... OH GOD, THEY GOT TO ME!!!!
Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on Bluesky at @rexhuppke.bsky.social and on Facebook at facebook.com/RexIsAJerk
You can read diverse opinions from our USA TODAY columnists and other writers on the Opinion front page, on X, formerly Twitter, @usatodayopinion and in our Opinion newsletter.
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On Monday, Trump threatened to place a 100% tariff rate on Russia if it didn't make significant progress toward a peace deal with Ukraine in the next 50 days. He said the duties would be secondary, meaning they would penalize any nation that traded with Russia. Such tariffs would notably target China, in particular, as it's a major buyer of Russian oil. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Trump says US has reached trade deal with Indonesia President Trump posted on Truth Social: Indonesia was facing 32% tariffs on exports to the US from Aug. 1. It was one of over 20 countries whose leaders Trump has sent letters to in the past week-plus, dictating the tariff rates their countries will face next month. President Trump posted on Truth Social: Indonesia was facing 32% tariffs on exports to the US from Aug. 1. It was one of over 20 countries whose leaders Trump has sent letters to in the past week-plus, dictating the tariff rates their countries will face next month. 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Core CPI rose 2.9% over the past year in June, in line with estimates. 'This is just the initial onset of these tariff increases, and we're going to see more over the summer," EY chief economist Gregory Daco told Yahoo Finance in response to the inflation print. "I expect a very muggy summer when it comes to inflation." Read more here. China posts better-than-expected Q2 growth in face of Trump tariffs CNN reports: Read more here. CNN reports: Read more here. European Union finalizes list of counter-tariffs totaling €72 billion The European Union has prepared a list of American goods that will be tariffed by the bloc should a mutually beneficial trade deal be reached by the Aug 1 deadline set by Trump last week. With just shy of 20% of US trade being done with the EU, there's a swath of industries that will be impacted by the tariffs should they come into effect. The full list of impacted products totals €72 billion ($84 billion USD). Bloomberg reports: Read more here. The European Union has prepared a list of American goods that will be tariffed by the bloc should a mutually beneficial trade deal be reached by the Aug 1 deadline set by Trump last week. With just shy of 20% of US trade being done with the EU, there's a swath of industries that will be impacted by the tariffs should they come into effect. The full list of impacted products totals €72 billion ($84 billion USD). Bloomberg reports: Read more here. The issues at play in negotiations with America's top trading partners In recent weeks, President Trump postponed the tariff deal deadline to Aug. 1 and sent letters to the leaders of 25 countries informing them of new tariff rates. But one factor complicating negotiations in the days ahead is that each trade relationship faces its own set of complex issues. And while most issues center on particular industries or trade barriers, others don't seem to directly pertain to trade, as in the case of Brazil and Trump's opposition to its Supreme Court trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro. The chart below highlights the top issues for the US's top trading partners, which make up 85% of US trade. It also highlights the challenge of inking one-off deals with each partner, as was revealed the first time the Trump team boldly predicted 90 deals in 90 days. Talks with Canada, for instance, are likely to focus on oil and potash, whereas the Trump administration's dealings with Japanese officials are likely to center around automobiles and general market openness. Transshipping, when cargo is routed through a third country to avoid tariffs, has become a particularly tricky issue for many Southeast Asian countries, as companies look to circumvent tariffs on Chinese goods. In recent weeks, President Trump postponed the tariff deal deadline to Aug. 1 and sent letters to the leaders of 25 countries informing them of new tariff rates. But one factor complicating negotiations in the days ahead is that each trade relationship faces its own set of complex issues. And while most issues center on particular industries or trade barriers, others don't seem to directly pertain to trade, as in the case of Brazil and Trump's opposition to its Supreme Court trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro. The chart below highlights the top issues for the US's top trading partners, which make up 85% of US trade. It also highlights the challenge of inking one-off deals with each partner, as was revealed the first time the Trump team boldly predicted 90 deals in 90 days. Talks with Canada, for instance, are likely to focus on oil and potash, whereas the Trump administration's dealings with Japanese officials are likely to center around automobiles and general market openness. Transshipping, when cargo is routed through a third country to avoid tariffs, has become a particularly tricky issue for many Southeast Asian countries, as companies look to circumvent tariffs on Chinese goods. EU warns of 'big gap' after Trump's threat of 30% tariffs The European Union on Monday warned of a "big gap" in trade talks after President Trump's threat of a 30% tariff on the bloc from Aug. 1. "We've been quite close in agreeing the text on the [trade] agreement in principle, but there have been clearly areas where we have quite a big gap between our two positions," said Maroš Šefčovič, the EU's lead trade negotiator, per The Financial Times. Trump's threat appears to have "confounded" the EU, with Šefčovič warning that it would make trade between the US and EU "almost impossible." For his part on Monday, Trump said he is open to more negotiations, including with the EU. But he also repeated a refrain that "the letters are the deals." The EU "would like to do a different kind of deal," he said. "We're always open to talk. We are open to talk, including to Europe. In fact, they're coming over. They'd like to talk." The European Union on Monday warned of a "big gap" in trade talks after President Trump's threat of a 30% tariff on the bloc from Aug. 1. "We've been quite close in agreeing the text on the [trade] agreement in principle, but there have been clearly areas where we have quite a big gap between our two positions," said Maroš Šefčovič, the EU's lead trade negotiator, per The Financial Times. Trump's threat appears to have "confounded" the EU, with Šefčovič warning that it would make trade between the US and EU "almost impossible." For his part on Monday, Trump said he is open to more negotiations, including with the EU. But he also repeated a refrain that "the letters are the deals." The EU "would like to do a different kind of deal," he said. "We're always open to talk. We are open to talk, including to Europe. In fact, they're coming over. They'd like to talk." Trump threatens 100% tariffs on Russia over war in Ukraine President Trump on Monday threatened to hit Russia with tariffs of up to 100% as he grows increasingly frustrated with the country and President Putin over the lack of progress toward ending the war in Ukraine. The tariffs Trump floated would be so-called secondary tariffs, which would theoretically apply to countries that trade with Russia on their imports to the US. Per the FT: Trump also confirmed plans to provide weapons to Ukraine, including Patriot missile systems that Ukraine has urged the US to send. US trade with Russia has plummeted amid the Ukraine war, with Russia now ranking out of the top 50 US partners on imports, according to 2024 US Census data. But Russia still trades with many countries in Europe and Asia — most notably China. President Trump on Monday threatened to hit Russia with tariffs of up to 100% as he grows increasingly frustrated with the country and President Putin over the lack of progress toward ending the war in Ukraine. The tariffs Trump floated would be so-called secondary tariffs, which would theoretically apply to countries that trade with Russia on their imports to the US. Per the FT: Trump also confirmed plans to provide weapons to Ukraine, including Patriot missile systems that Ukraine has urged the US to send. US trade with Russia has plummeted amid the Ukraine war, with Russia now ranking out of the top 50 US partners on imports, according to 2024 US Census data. But Russia still trades with many countries in Europe and Asia — most notably China. Reebok founder on Trump tariffs: It's virtually impossible to make sneakers in US Reebok founder Joe Foster weighed in on the realities of President Trump's tariffs that are pressuring Reebok and its rivals, such as Nike (NKE), Under Armour (UAA), and Skechers (SKX). Shifting sneaker manufacturing from China and Vietnam to the US would be 'virtually impossible overnight,' Foster said in a new episode of the Opening Bid Unfiltered podcast. 'It's not something you can just turn the switch on,' Foster said. 'You've got to go somewhere where you've got a lot of people who are quite willing to sit on a machine [and the] production line. That doesn't happen overnight. In fact, in the UK, we can't get people to do that. They won't do it.' Read more here. Reebok founder Joe Foster weighed in on the realities of President Trump's tariffs that are pressuring Reebok and its rivals, such as Nike (NKE), Under Armour (UAA), and Skechers (SKX). Shifting sneaker manufacturing from China and Vietnam to the US would be 'virtually impossible overnight,' Foster said in a new episode of the Opening Bid Unfiltered podcast. 'It's not something you can just turn the switch on,' Foster said. 'You've got to go somewhere where you've got a lot of people who are quite willing to sit on a machine [and the] production line. That doesn't happen overnight. In fact, in the UK, we can't get people to do that. They won't do it.' Read more here. Sign in to access your portfolio
The Hill
6 minutes ago
- The Hill
Trump's challenge to Democrats on school choice: Put up or shut up
On Independence Day, President Trump signed into law the biggest expansion of universal private school choice in American history. In its reporting, the New York Times inexplicably characterized a last-minute amendment limiting Education Savings Accounts only to states that opt-in as a ' win for Democrats and teachers' unions,' because blue states would presumably choose not to participate. Although American Federation of Teachers president and recently resigned DNC member Randi Weingarten may view the denial of school choice to blue state parents as a 'win,' I doubt working class voters would agree. In fact, that 'win' represents a political landmine for Democrats. I am skeptical about the wisdom of Trump's Education Savings Accounts plan, but I must admit that I am only typing this sentence because of a scholarship I received to attend a private school many years ago. When I was 16, my alcoholic father committed suicide. I vividly remember going to school the first day after my dad's funeral feeling overwhelmed, numb and embarrassed. And I remember how my teachers made me feel safe and seen in a way that altered the trajectory of my life. My younger brother wasn't so lucky. He went to a different school when our dad died and joined a gang after dropping out. I have seen firsthand the impact of education dancing on the razor's edge of a child's life. That's why I do what I do. So I respect leaders like Democrats for Education Reform chief Jorge Elorza, who are driving the voucher debate. But I have a healthy skepticism about the public policy implications of scaling a wild-west national Education Savings Account plan with few regulatory guardrails to ensure educational quality — not to mention separation of church and state red flags or my belief in the promise of public education. Policy concerns aside, voters now face a stark color-coded national split-screen. In red states, you get free money for the school of your choice. In blue states, you get what you get and you don't get upset. Listening to teachers union leaders like Weingarten and her allies, you'd think charter schools were created in an underground right-wing laboratory as part of a secret plot to ' privatize ' public education. In fact charter schools were originally proposed in 1988 by her own American Federation of Teachers predecessor Al Shanker. I worked in the White House for President Bill Clinton, who proudly ran on charter schools when only one existed in America. President Barack Obama later scaled high-quality charters as part of his bold Race to the Top agenda. Charters are public schools, which means they are free and secular, cannot have admission requirements, and have strict regulatory controls on educational quality. That doesn't sound like a Republican plot to destroy public education to me. I am a longtime public school parent. My daughters have attended our great neighborhood Los Angeles Unified School District school, as well as multiple high-quality public charters. But we literally had to win a lottery to get into their charter schools. That's because California caps charter growth, since many charters are not unionized, as a Democratic Party favor to teachers unions. Amongst progressive issues outside education that Weingarten and I agree upon is that Trump is a threat to democracy. That's exactly why the time is now for a Democratic moonshot to translate 'high-quality public schools' from a soundbite into a civil right. In debating this abundance moonshot, the onus is on Democrats like me who are skeptical about Education Savings Accounts to articulate a compelling alternative that can win back working class voters. Weingarten, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have rightly championed universal preschool, free community college and student loan relief. But the entire K-12 experience of a child is conveniently missing from that agenda. In addition to scaling high-quality public school choice, our moonshot must span preschool to post-secondary, pivot from 'equity' to 'quality,' and put parents — not party interests — at the center. This begins with eliminating school attendance boundaries that trap children in failing schools; expanding high-quality career and technical education; universal tutoring for the COVID generation; endorsement of science of reading; and finishing the job of Brown v. Board of Education by codifying high-quality public schools as a civil right for all children in America. The good news for my party is that Democrats have a strong bench of national leaders with a record of challenging party orthodoxy. That was a feature — not a bug — of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama's success as the only two-term Democratic presidents since Franklin Roosevelt. The bad news is that while Democrats have dithered for a decade under Biden, Harris and Weingarten, Republicans have been formulating a bold vision for American education with obvious appeal for the same working class voters Democrats need to win back. The ball is decidedly now in our court. Democratic leaders must volley with a viable vision that speaks to the urgent needs of working-class parents — not just to do the right thing for kids, but also to win back power. For the sake of American democracy, Democrats must not concede education Independence Day to Trump.
