Biden to have sign interpreter at every press briefing

Donald Trump and Kayleigh McEnany were sued last year over lack of translator at Covid events

Joe Biden will have a sign language interpreter at the daily White House press briefings, it had been announced.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that the president wants an American Sign Language interpreter to become a regular part of the re-instituted news conferences.

It is the first time in history that a sign language interpreter will be added to the daily briefing.

The Biden administration is again holding on camera briefings every day after they were largely shelved by Donald Trump and Kayleigh McEnany.

“As a part of this administration's accessibility and inclusion efforts, starting today, we will have an ASL, an American Sign Language interpreter, for our daily press briefings," said Ms Psaki, on Monday.

"The president is committed to building an America that is more inclusive, more just and more accessible for every American, including Americans with disabilities and their families.”

Last year, the National Association of the Deaf and five individuals sued Mr Trump and Ms McEnany for failing to provide an interpreter at Covid briefings, and claimed it violated the First Amendment.

The US has more than 37 million adults, 15 per cent of the over 18 population, with some degree of hearing problems, according to the National Institute of Health.

Governors in all 50 states already provide sign language interpretation for their public briefings.