Associated Press barred from Oval Office for not using ‘Gulf of America’
GuardianFEB 19
Judge Orders White House to Lift Restrictions on AP News
Above: Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary, calls on members of the media during a news conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, April 8, 2025. Image copyright: Al Drago/Bloomberg/Contributor via Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-Trump narrative
The Associated Press decided to ignore President Trump's lawful name change to the Gulf of America, demonstrating its commitment to being divisive and partisan, rather than pursuing unbiased journalism. It has no right to automatically be given access to presidential events and the decision to limit their access given their publishing of misinformation was justified.
Anti-Trump narrative
The White House has no right to dictate to journalists what language to use and they should be able express themselves freely without fear of retribution. This was the right decision from the court, reaffirming the principles of a free press and the First Amendment.