The White House blocked the Associated Press (AP) from covering events at the Oval Office, as the agency refuses to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as “Gulf of America.” The Associated Press issued a statement explaining they will continue to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as such.
In a press conference on February 12, when asked if the Trump administration would retaliate against reporters who don’t use the language the administration desires, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed that “it is a fact” that the Gulf of Mexico is called the “Gulf of America.” She followed by stating that journalists who say otherwise will be held accountable for those “lies” by being reaped of their privileges, such as access to news coverage events in the Oval Office.
On February 18, Trump states that the AP reporters will be barred until the agency decides to use the name “Gulf of America.”
On February 21, AP News sues three Trump officials, saying that the Trump administration is impeding on their First Amendment rights by trying to control speech.
