After Oval Office, Trump administration blocks AP from Air Force One in ‘Gulf of America’ row

After the Oval Office, the White House again barred Associated Press reporters from accessing Air Force One over the “Gulf of America” policy.
White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich said that the new agency’s ignorance towards changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America shows their commitment to misinformation.
“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. 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,” Budowich said.

“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. Associate Press journalists and photographers will retain their credentials to the White House complex,” he added.

Trump vs AP news agency

Since Tuesday, AP journalists have been prohibited from attending President Donald Trump’s Oval Office events due to their non-compliance with his executive order regarding the Gulf’s renaming.
Earlier, President Donald Trump announced that February 9 would be the first “Gulf of America Day,” a move that came after an executive order that set in motion the process of changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico.
In a January 23 guidance, AP said it would refer to the Gulf of Mexico “by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen.”
“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,” it added.
The AP’s refusal to follow the Gulf of America policy has irked the Trump administration.

‘Alarming’: AP denounces Trump administration’s position on Gulf of America policy

Julie Pace, AP’s editor-in-chief, denounced the administration’s position as an infringement of free speech rights and detrimental to AP’s global audience seeking impartial news.
“It is alarming that the Trump administration would punish AP for its independent journalism. 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,” Pace said in a statement.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the new designation on Wednesday, citing its official adoption by the interior secretary and implementation by Google and Apple on their maps.
The White House Correspondents’ Association condemned AP’s exclusion as “outrageous”, with president Eugene Daniels warning about potential restrictions on press freedom.
Daniels emphasised this action contradicts both First Amendment principles and the president’s own directive on speech freedom and federal censorship.
Budowich confirmed that whilst AP staff would lose access to specific areas, they would maintain their general White House complex credentials.