The Trump administration said Friday it would continue to block Associated Press journalists from places like the Oval Office and Air Force One because the wire service was using the name Gulf of Mexico instead of Gulf of America.
Taylor Budowich, the White House deputy chief of staff, said in a post on X that “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 space.” He said A.P. journalists would still have credentials to enter the White House complex.”
The A.P.’s executive editor, Julie Pace, said Thursday that the administration was punishing the A.P. for editorial decisions in violation of the First Amendment. A.P. reporters were blocked from a number of White House events this week.
The A.P. has explained that as an international news source, it would continue calling the body of water the Gulf of Mexico because Trump’s executive order carried authority within the United States and had not been recognized by Mexico.” Most of the Gulf of Mexico lies outside maritime waters controlled by the United States.
The outlet did, however, say it would refer to Denali, the peak in Alaska, as Mt. McKinley, a change Mr. Trump declared in the same order.
Charlie Stadtlander, a spokesman for The New York Times, said in a statement on Thursday: “We stand by The Associated Press in condemning repeated acts of retribution by this administration for editorial decisions it disagrees with. Any move to limit access or impede reporters doing their jobs is at odds with the press freedoms enshrined in the Constitution.”
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