Trump White House Expands AP Ban to Air Force One Over ‘Gulf of America’ Dispute
As Legal Insurrection reported earlier this week, the Trump White House made clear they were not playing around with the Associated Press over their refusal to refer to what was previously called the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” effectively banning them from press events in the Oval Office.
Contrary to critics’ claims, the Trump administration has been serious about the matter. On his first day back in office last month, President Donald Trump put the renaming in writing via an Executive Order, stating that “in recognition of this flourishing economic resource and its critical importance to our Nation’s economy and its people, I am directing that it officially be renamed the Gulf of America.”
Ahead of Trump’s first visit to the region since its official renaming, he proclaimed February 9, 2025, to be “Gulf of America Day.”
While most media outlets have adjusted their terminology to reflect the name change following the EO, the Associated Press has not. Now, their continued refusal to do so has earned them a ban extension, with the White House taking it beyond the Oval Office and extending it to Air Force One, as explained by Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich:
“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. 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. Associate Press journalists and photographers will retain their credentials to the White House complex.”
Though there has been the expected hyperventilating from the AP and other news organizations, they aren’t finding much sympathy from those who understand that the purported news organization is little more than a propaganda arm for leftist causes:
What’s telling about the refusal to abide by what the White House describes as a “lawful geographic name change” is that the AP has notoriously updated its guidelines to adhere to whatever random language change progressive lawmakers and lobbyists have ordered.[…]In 2023, the AP asked journalists to put the words “woke” and “anti-abortion” in quotation marks due to the words “derogatory” use by conservatives.”A slang term that originally described enlightenment or awakening about issues of racial and other forms of social justice,” read an explanation of the word in an AP Stylebook post on Twitter.”Some people and groups, especially conservatives, now use it in a derogatory sense implying what they see as overreactions. Avoid using the term other than in direct quotations.”
We’ve written about that extensively here:
- Associated Press Reporters Can Only Describe Hamas Terrorists as Militants, ‘Fighters, Attackers, or Combatants’
- The Associated Press Thoroughly Beclowns Itself With Stylebook Change on the Word ‘The’
- AP Stylebook Goes to Bat for Dems on ‘Pregnant People’ Having Abortions
- AP Stylebook Now Says Don’t Call Riots “Riots”
- Associated Press Will Capitalize Black, But Not White Since They Haven’t Faced Discrimination Due to Skin Color
- Political takeover of language nears completion — AP bans “illegal immigrants”
Play stupid games, Associated Press, win stupid prizes.
-Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym “Sister Toldjah” and can be reached via Twitter/X.-
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