The Associated Press has indefinitely lost its access to the Oval Office due to its refusal to follow President Donald Trump’s order to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”
“The Associated Press continues to ignore the lawful geographic name change of the Gulf of America. This decision is not just divisive, but it also exposes the Associated Press’ commitment to misinformation,” White House Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich shared on X on Friday. “While their right to irresponsible and dishonest reporting is protected by the First Amendment, it does not ensure their privilege of unfettered access to limited spaces, like the Oval Office and Air Force One.”
“Going forward, that space will now be opened up to the many thousands of reporters who have been barred from covering these intimate areas of the administration,” he continued. “Associate Press journalists and photographers will retain their credentials to the White House complex.”
The AP was first blocked from attending Trump’s Oval Office press conference with Elon Musk on Tuesday after the newsroom insisted on calling the Gulf of Mexico by its internationally recognized name. They were then again barred from covering his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.
In response, AP executive editor Julie Pace said it was “a deeply troubling escalation of the administration’s continued efforts to punish the Associated Press for its editorial decisions … It is a plain violation of the First Amendment, and we urge the Trump administration in the strongest terms to stop this practice.”
However, on Wednesday, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended Trump’s initial decision, saying, “Nobody has the right to go into the Oval Office and ask the president of the United States questions. That is an invitation that is given.”
“It is a fact that the body of water off the coast of Louisiana is called the Gulf of America, and I am not sure why news outlets don’t want to call it that, but that is what it is,” she added.
Indeed, the White House Press Briefing Room is seeing fresh faces during Trump’s second administration as he welcomes “new media voices” in place of some existing legacy outlets.
