AP Sues Trump White House Officials Over ‘Gulf of America’ Ban on News Organization
The Associated Press sued three Trump administration officials Friday over the White House ban on the news organization’s access to presidential events. The White House has blocked AP reporters and photographers over its refusal to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” which is what President Trump last month ordered the body of water to be henceforth called.
The AP, citing the First Amendment, asked a federal judge to stop the White House from blocking its journalists. The AP’s lawsuit names White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich, press secretary Karoline Leavitt and chief of staff Susan Wiles as defendants.
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“The White House has ordered the Associated Press to use certain words in its coverage or else face an indefinite denial of access,” the news org says in the complaint. “The press and all people in the United States have the right to choose their own words and not be retaliated against by the government. The Constitution does not allow the government to control speech. Allowing such government control and retaliation to stand is a threat to every American’s freedom.”
The AP seeks a ruling ordering the Trump officials to “immediately rescind” their denial of the AP’s access to the Oval Office, Air Force One and other limited spaces “when such spaces are made open to other White House press pool members.” It also seeks an order declaring that White House’s ban violates the First and Fifth Amendments, as well as a monetary award covering AP’s legal costs incurred in the lawsuit.
A copy of the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, is available at this link. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On Feb. 14, White House said it would indefinitely bar the news organization from access to the Oval Office and Air Force One over the issue. “The Associated Press continues to ignore the lawful geographic name change of the Gulf of America,” Budowich said in a post on X. “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.”
According to the AP’s lawsuit, Wiles sent a Feb. 18 email to the new org to explain “why we arrived in this point.” In the email, Wiles wrote that the White House was targeting the AP because its stylebook “is used by many as a standard for writing and editing” and that it “advises journalists, scholars and classrooms around our country,” per the complaint. Wiles also wrote that “we remain hopeful that the name of the [Gulf] will be appropriately reflected in the [AP] Stylebook where American audiences are concerned.” The AP’s lawsuit said the implication was that the news organization “could change its guidance as to American audiences to resolve the issue and restore its access.”
In addition to the AP, other news outlets that are adhering to calling it the Gulf of Mexico include the New York Times, Bloomberg News, Reuters, the New Yorker and the Los Angeles Times. Both Apple and Google have updated their map apps to reflect Trump’s name change to the Gulf of America.
Trump, on his first day in office for a second term as U.S. president, signed an executive order that among other things directed the Secretary of the Interior to adopt the name “Gulf of America” to replace the long-held name of the body of water “extending to the seaward boundary with Mexico and Cuba.”
At a Feb. 18 event at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Trump told reporters, “We’re going to keep [the AP] out until such time as they agree that it’s the Gulf of America.” He added, “We’re very proud of this country, and we want it to be the Gulf of America.” Trump also claimed that the AP “has been very, very wrong on the election on Trump and the treatment of Trump and other things having to do with Trump and Republicans and conservatives. And they’re doing us no favors. And I guess I’m doing them no favors. That’s the way life works.”
Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order also said Alaska’s Denali mountain would be revert to its previous name, Mount McKinley; the AP said it would recognize that change, because the “area lies solely in the United States and as president, Trump has the authority to change federal geographical names within the country.”
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