AP Says Reporter Was Barred from Oval Office for Not Using ‘Gulf of America’

A reporter from the Associated Press was denied entry into the Ival Office Tuesday after the wire service did not acquiesce and call the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.”

White House officials warned the AP that if it did not change its stylebook — used as a guide in many newsrooms — the reporter would not be allowed to attend an executive order signing event Tuesday afternoon, per Politico.

Julie Pace, AP’s executive editor, released a statement, calling the move a violation of the First Amendment.

“As a global news organization, The Associated Press informs billions of people around the world every day with factual, nonpartisan journalism,” Pace’s statement started.

“Today we were informed by the White House that if AP did not align its editorial standards with President Donald Trump’s executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, AP would be barred from accessing an event in the Oval Office,” the statement continued. “This afternoon AP’s reporter was blocked from attending an executive order signing.”

Pace called this move “alarming.”

“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,” the statement read. 

According to AP protocol, the news wire is used by organizations worldwide that do not have at adhere to a Trump policy.

“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,” per the AP. “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.”

White House Correspondents’ Association President Eugene Daniels issued a statement, backing the AP.

“The White House “cannot dictate how news organizations report the news, nor should it penalize working journalists because it is unhappy with their editors’ decisions,” he said. “The move by the administration to bar a reporter from The Associated Press from an official event open to news coverage today is unacceptable.”

Daniels, who is also Playbook chief correspondent for POLITICO, added: “The WHCA stands with The Associated Press and calls on the administration to immediately change course,” Daniels said.

The AP said it will abide by the administraion’s change from Mount Denali to Mount McKinley.

Many on X agreed with the ban.