In an unprecedented display of dictatorial power, the White House barred an Associated Press (AP) reporter from covering an Oval Office event, over the news agency’s refusal to adopt President Donald Trump’s controversial renaming of the Gulf of Mexico.
The decision, which has sparked outrage among press freedom advocates, marks a dangerous new low in the Trump administration’s ongoing battle with the media.
The incident occurred on Tuesday when an AP reporter, whose identity has not been disclosed, was denied entry to a routine White House event.
Later in the evening, a second AP reporter was blocked from attending a gathering in the White House’s Diplomatic Reception Room.
The administration’s justification? The AP’s adherence to its longstanding style guide, which continues to refer to the body of water as the Gulf of Mexico, despite Trump’s executive order mandating the change.
The AP, one of the most respected and widely followed news organizations in the world, has refused to bow to the administration’s demands, citing the need for clarity and consistency in global reporting.
The Gulf of Mexico has been recognized by that name for over 400 years, and the AP has stated that it will continue to use the traditional name while acknowledging Trump’s decree in its coverage.
Julie Pace, AP’s senior vice president and executive editor, condemned the White House’s actions in a strongly worded statement.
“It is alarming that the Trump administration would punish AP for its independent journalism,” Pace said. “Limiting our access to the Oval Office based on the content of AP’s speech not only severely impedes the public’s access to independent news, it plainly violates the First Amendment.”
The administration’s heavy-handed tactics have drawn widespread criticism, including from unlikely quarters.
David Frum, a former speechwriter for President George W. Bush, lambasted the move in an Atlantic Monthly column, calling the “Gulf of America” both “sinister” and “pathetic.”
Frum noted that the Gulf of Mexico’s name has historical roots dating back to 16th-century Spanish mapmakers and questioned the logic behind Trump’s unilateral rebranding effort.
“The decree and its enforcement were indeed sinister—an effort to bend reality to one man’s whim. But they were also pathetic, a revelation of inner weakness, not national strength,” Frum wrote.
“The White House obviously does not have a legitimate basis for barring Associated Press reporters from events yesterday and today. The decision to block these journalists doesn’t just affect one news organization, but rather the millions of people in the U.S. and around the world who rely on its reporting for independent information about important issues,” said Bruce D. Brown, president of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
In 2009, Washington, D.C., bureau chiefs at the major broadcasters rallied around Fox News when the White House under President Barack Obama tried to exclude the news outlet from the press pool interviewing Kenneth Feinberg, then-special master for executive compensation for the Troubled Asset Relief Program at the Treasury Department.
Brown said: “Should another journalist or news organization be singled out, the press pool should stand in solidarity much like it did on Fox’s behalf in 2009 and show that it will stick together on something so basic as protecting access to official events.”
Trump’s executive order, signed on the first day of his second term, has been met with widespread opposition.
Polls show that a majority of Americans oppose the name change, with a Marquette University survey finding that 71% of respondents preferred to keep the Gulf of Mexico’s traditional name.
Despite the lack of public support, the administration has doubled down on its efforts, even declaring February 9 as “Gulf of America Day” during a high-profile signing ceremony aboard Air Force One.
The private sector has been caught in the crossfire, with tech giants like Google, Apple, and Microsoft updating their maps in U.S.-facing versions to bow to the petty tyrant.
However, international users and those in Mexico continue to see the body of water labeled as the Gulf of Mexico, highlighting the impracticality of Trump’s decree on a global scale.
The AP’s defiance has made it a target of the administration’s ire.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the decision to bar the reporters, accusing the AP of “telling lies” by refusing to adopt the new name.
“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,” said Leavitt.
Critics argue that the administration’s actions set a dangerous precedent for press freedom. By punishing a news organization for its editorial decisions, the White House is effectively attempting to control the narrative and suppress dissent.
The move has also raised concerns about the broader implications for journalism in the United States, with fears that other news outlets could face similar retaliation for refusing to comply with the administration’s demands.
The AP, for its part, remains steadfast in its commitment to journalistic integrity. In a statement explaining its decision, the agency emphasized the importance of maintaining clarity and consistency in global reporting.
“The Gulf of Mexico has carried that name for more than 400 years. The Associated Press will refer to it by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen,” the AP wrote. “As a global news agency that disseminates news around the world, the AP must ensure that place names and geography are easily recognizable to all audiences.”
As the standoff between the White House and the press continues, one thing is clear: the Trump administration’s efforts to reshape reality through executive fiat are facing fierce resistance.
Trump has made tens of thousands of false or misleading claims, including many related to incontrovertible facts, during his first and second terms as President of the United States.
Fact-checkers at The Washington Post documented 30,573 false or misleading claims during his first presidential term, an average of 21 per day.
Trump’s mendacity is unprecedented in American politics, but the consistency of falsehoods as a distinctive part of his business and political identities has been cited as significant evidence of an intent to deceive that indicates some sort of personality disorder.
This latest clash should embolden other news organizations to push back against lies and government overreach remains to be seen, but the AP’s refusal to bend to Trump’s will serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of a free and independent press in our democratic society.