Trump admin bars Associated Press from Oval Office, Air Force One over Gulf of Mexico tiff

The Trump administration barred the Associated Press from Air Force One and the White House's Oval Office on Friday, citing the wire service's reluctance to refer to the Gulf of Mexico by the administration's preferred term: Gulf of America. 

In a post to X, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich said the outlet had a right to "irresponsible and dishonest reporting" but called the publication's commitment to the centuries-old name "divisive." (It's worth noting here that the Associated Press is not an arm of the federal government and is under no obligation to change the way they refer to places on the whims of the president.)

"The Associated Press continues to ignore the lawful geographic name change of the Gulf of America. This decision is not just divisive, but it also exposes the Associated Press' commitment to misinformation," Budowich wrote. "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. Going forward, that space will now be opened up to the many thousands of reporters who have been barred from covering these intimate areas of the administration."

President Trump ordered the Secretary of the Interior to refer to the American sea as the "Gulf of America" on his first day in office. The move is one small front in an ongoing tit-for-tat between Mexico and the Trump administration. The Associated Press, who maintain a stylebook used as the standard for written journalism at many outlets, issued guidance to journalists on how to proceed.

"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," they wrote. "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." 

Earlier this week, the White House barred an AP reporter from a press event over the spat. AP Executive Editor Julie Pace said the retaliation "plainly violates the First Amendment" in a statement.