Regarding the exclusion of one of the news site’s reporters from an event at the Oval Office, the Executive Editor of the news organization Associated Press has issued a comment.
A recent story claims that the White House refused to allow an Associated Press (AP) reporter to attend an event in the Oval Office on Tuesday afternoon because the news outlet refused to modify their phrasing on the Gulf of Mexico.
It was claimed that President Donald Trump had directed the renaming of the body of water the “Gulf of America,” and the AP was instructed to update its coverage to reflect this.
As is customary, the anonymous AP reporter was not allowed to access the White House event. A second AP reporter was also prohibited from going to another function that took place in the Diplomatic Reception Room later that day. The reporters’ identities have not been revealed by the AP.
The AP has openly denounced the White House’s decision to exclude its reporters from the Oval Office event for failing to comply with the Trump administration’s editorial directive.
AP Executive Editor Julie Pace stressed the organization’s dedication to providing reliable, unbiased journalism to a worldwide audience in a statement issued on Tuesday.
Trump’s executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” would restrict access to official events if the White House did not comply, Pace disclosed to AP.
The administration’s actions are retribution for independent journalism, she said, calling the move disturbing.
Pace also said that limiting AP’s access because of editorial choices violates the First Amendment, which safeguards free speech and a free press, in addition to undermining press freedom.
AP has chosen to continue using the Gulf of Mexico as its original name in their editorial operations, defying the executive order to rename it. They will, however, acknowledge Trump’s new name while doing so.
During a press conference, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt discussed the administration’s decision to restrict AP employees from the Oval Office.
“Well, first of all, let me just set the record straight,” Leavitt said when asked by a journalist who was in charge of the prohibition. Covering this White House is an honor. No one has the right to enter the Oval Office and question the President of the United States; it is an invitation. Being the White House press secretary is a privilege.
She continued, “We reserve the right to decide who gets to go into the Oval Office.” Many reporters from other outlets raised their hands to react as soon as Leavitt finished her comments.
According to the journalist who first raised the issue regarding the ban, “But, isn’t it retaliatory in nature is the argument because, there’s a reason the AP was barred, which they said was because they’re not using the phrase, ‘Gulf of America,’ they’re using ‘Gulf of Mexico,’ in line with their standards.”
“The question here is, is this creating a precedent that this White House will take action against reporters who don’t use the language that you guys think reporters should use?” she went on. And how does that relate to the First Amendment pledge you said earlier?
Leavitt refuted the reporter’s claims by restating that she had made it clear that the Trump administration would hold media outlets accountable if they felt they were spreading false information.
“It is a fact that the body of water off the coast of Louisiana is called the ‘Gulf of America,’ and I’m not sure why news outlets don’t want to call it that, but that is what it is,” Leavitt asserted.
She continued, “The secretary of interior has made that the official designation in the geographical identification name server, and Apple has recognized that, Google has recognized that, pretty much every other outlet in this room has recognized that […] and it’s very important to this administration that we get that right, not just for people here at home, but also for the rest of the world.”
Trump first announced his plan to rename the area just over a month ago, and now he has ordered the change. The president’s press conference on the issue was captured on camera by media source ABC on January 7, 2025.
“We’re going to be announcing at a future date, pretty soon we’re going to change—because we do most of the work there and it’s ours—we’re going to be changing—sort of the opposite of Biden, where he’s closing everything up, essentially getting rid of 50 to 60 trillion dollars’ worth of assets—we’re gonna be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the ‘Gulf of America,'” stated the president.
“That covers a lot of territory,” he added, adding that he thought the new name had a “beautiful ring.” “The ‘Gulf of America,’ what a lovely name, and it just makes sense.”
A YouTube video posted by Fox 5 Atlanta claims that weeks after Trump’s original thoughts on the name change, he proclaimed February 9 to be “Gulf of America Day.”
Trump, sitting comfortably with two government officials in a jet over the area, nodded as one of them affirmed the change’s legitimacy. The official pointed out that the relevant parties had previously contacted the required map providers to make sure the disclosure was adhered to.
Then, while the media recorded the occasion, Trump triumphantly displayed the executive order he had signed. The words “Gulf of America” were scattered throughout a poster showing a map of the Gulf of Mexico that was shown behind him.
Trump said, “Actually, interestingly, I’ve never spoken to them about it,” in response to a background voice inquiring if he had discussed this issue with Mexico. We had a call, and I hadn’t discussed it with them. I’ve discussed a lot of other stuff with them. I’m a little shocked that they’ve never mentioned it.”
