The White House announced on Friday that it has indefinitely barred The Associated Press (AP) from accessing the Oval Office and Air Force One, CNN reported. The decision comes after the White House criticized AP earlier in the week for using the term “Gulf of Mexico.”
In January, the U.S. President declared that the body of water would be renamed the Gulf of America, and the change has since been implemented across government agencies. However, other nations have not recognized the new name, and AP continues to refer to it as the Gulf of Mexico, along with other global news organizations.
As a result, the White House specifically targeted AP this week, prohibiting its reporters from covering presidential events. However, AP photographers were still allowed to attend. Shortly before the President left for Mar-a-Lago on Friday, the administration confirmed that AP would not be permitted to travel aboard Air Force One for the trip.
In a statement shared on X, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich accused AP of disregarding the official geographic name change and labeled the decision “divisive,” claiming it revealed the news agency’s commitment to misinformation. However, he clarified that AP journalists and photographers would retain their White House credentials.
“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. 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,” Budowich posted on X.
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…
— Taylor Budowich (@Taylor47) February 14, 2025
CNN reported that restricting AP from “pooled” events, such as Air Force One travel, hinders the agency’s ability to cover the presidency effectively. The “press pool” accompanies the President at all times and shares updates with the wider press corps.
AP has reportedly been preparing a legal challenge against the decision. Speaking anonymously, an AP employee told CNN, “It’s hard to come up with a clearer case of viewpoint discrimination.”
On Thursday, the White House Correspondents’ Association, which represents the press corps, condemned the move, stating that the action against AP “is a textbook violation of not only the First Amendment, but the president’s own executive order on freedom of speech and ending federal censorship.”
