US President Donald Trump has reaffirmed his decision to restrict Associated Press (AP) access to the White House, stating that the news agency will remain barred until it complies with his directive to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”
“We’re going to keep them out until such time as they agree that it’s the Gulf of America,” Trump told reporters at his Florida estate on Tuesday.
The White House has already blocked AP journalists from Air Force One and Oval Office events, insisting that the agency is refusing to acknowledge what the administration calls a lawful name change.
“The Associated Press just refuses to go with what the law is,” Trump added. “It’s called the Gulf of America now. It’s not called the Gulf of Mexico any longer.”
AP’s editor-in-chief, Julie Pace, has condemned the administration’s stance as “a plain violation” of the agency’s free speech rights, describing it as “an incredible disservice to the billions of people who rely on The Associated Press for nonpartisan news.”
Last month, AP reiterated its commitment to journalistic integrity, stating in a style note that “the Gulf of Mexico has carried that name for more than 400 years” and that Trump’s executive order on the renaming “only carries authority within the United States.”
Trump’s decision to leverage press access against a news organisation underscores his long-standing antagonism toward traditional media, which he frequently accuses of bias.
The White House Correspondents’ Association has strongly criticised AP’s exclusion, calling it outrageous.
“The attempted government censorship of a free press risks a chilling effect on journalists doing their job without fear or favor on behalf of the American people,” said association president Eugene Daniels in a statement.
As tensions between the Trump administration and the press continue to rise, it remains unclear whether AP will face further restrictions or whether other media organisations will also come under pressure to acknowledge the controversial renaming.
