Trump: AP White House access restricted until they use "Gulf of America"

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Axios

Updated 11 hours ago


President Trump told Axios' Marc Caputo on Tuesday that he will continue to restrict the Associated Press' access to the White House "until such time as they agree that it's the Gulf of America."

Why it matters: Trump has targeted the AP, which has said it will continue to use the 400-year-old Gulf of Mexico instead of Trump's preferred Gulf of America, as part of longstanding Republican complaints about the AP Stylebook's language guides around race, gender, and immigration.

Trump has limited AP reporters' access to the White House and Air Force One over the dispute.

Driving the news: "The Associated Press just refuses to go with what the law is and what has taken place, it's called the 'Gulf of America' now," Trump told Axios during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday.

"It's not called the Gulf of Mexico any longer. … We're going to keep them out until such time they agree that it's the Gulf of America."

What they're saying: AP spokesperson Lauren Easton said in a statement addressing Trump's comments "this is about the government telling the public and press what words to use and retaliating if they do not follow government orders."

Easton said the White House "has restricted AP's coverage of presidential events because of how we refer to a location."

She added: "The Associated Press has provided critical and independent coverage of the White House for over 100 years," Easton added.

Read more: https://www.axios.com/2025/02/18/trump-gulf-of-mexico-associated-press

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An E.O. is not "a law". It's the Executive Branch's declaration/directive for how an existing law will be carried out by the agencies in that Branch.