International
Trump White House Bans AP from Oval Office, Air Force One
- AP banned from Oval Office and Air Force One over refusal to use “Gulf of America” terminology.
- White House cites “misinformation” as reason for barring AP from key presidential events.
- Press freedom concerns grow as AP considers legal challenge against the ban.
The Trump administration announced on Friday that The Associated Press (AP) has been indefinitely banned from the Oval Office and Air Force One, escalating tensions between the White House and the press.
The decision follows a dispute over the AP’s continued use of the term “Gulf of Mexico” instead of adopting President Donald Trump’s decree renaming it the “Gulf of America.”
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While U.S. government agencies have implemented the change, international organizations and other countries have not recognized it.
Given its global audience, the AP has opted to maintain the original name while acknowledging Trump’s directive— a stance shared by other major news organizations.
In response, the White House barred AP reporters from presidential events this week, though its photographers were still permitted.
The administration then went a step further on Friday, preventing the AP from boarding Air Force One for Trump’s trip to Mar-a-Lago.
Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich defended the move in a statement on X, accusing the AP of spreading “misinformation” and asserting that access to limited spaces like the Oval Office and Air Force One is a privilege, not a right. He claimed that barring the AP would allow more reporters to cover these intimate settings.
Despite the ban, AP journalists will retain their credentials for White House grounds. However, excluding the AP from “pooled” events— where designated reporters travel with the president and share updates with the press corps— significantly hampers its ability to cover the administration.
The AP has been a core member of the White House press pool for over a century, playing a pivotal role in presidential coverage since at least 1881, when its reporter provided updates on the condition of wounded President James A. Garfield.
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The news organization has yet to comment publicly, but sources indicate it is preparing a legal challenge. One AP staffer, speaking anonymously, called the decision “a clear case of viewpoint discrimination.”
The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA), which oversees the press pool, condemned the administration’s action, calling it “a textbook violation” of the First Amendment and Trump’s own executive order on free speech.
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