Trump: AP to Remain Barred From Oval Office, Air Force One Until It Adopts ‘Gulf of America’

President Donald Trump delivers remarks at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., on Feb. 18, 2025. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

President Donald Trump said The Associated Press (AP) will remain barred from the Oval Office and Air Force One until it adopts the official renaming of the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America in its coverage.

The president made the remarks after AP refused to adopt the new terminology, insisting on referring to the vast body of water between Mexico and Florida by its former name. As a result, the White House indefinitely suspended AP reporters’ access to both the presidential office and Air Force One, opening up their seats for other media outlets.

During a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, on Feb. 18, Trump was asked what would make him reconsider AP’s exclusion.

“The Associated Press just refuses to go with what the law is and what has taken place,” Trump told reporters, adding that it’s within his rights as president to order name changes.

Trump emphasized that his administration had legally renamed both the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s Mount Denali—restoring its former name, Mount McKinley, in honor of President William McKinley. Although AP recognizes the McKinley renaming because it falls within U.S. jurisdiction, the news agency maintains that it cannot do the same for the Gulf, as it is shared with other nations.

In its style guidance, AP’s editorial team explained that they would continue referring to the body of water as the Gulf of Mexico while also referencing Trump’s executive order renaming it the Gulf of America, in consideration of its global readership. AP’s stylebook is widely adopted by major newsrooms, giving the agency immense influence over the language the news industry uses.

Trump dismissed AP’s justification for accepting one name change but not the other.

“I don’t know what they’re doing, but I just say that we’re going to keep them out until such time as they agree that it’s the Gulf of America,” Trump said. “We’re very proud of this country, and we want it to be the Gulf of America.”

AP Executive Editor Julie Pace has criticized the ban, accusing the administration of trying to “punish the AP for its independent journalism.” The White House Correspondents’ Association also condemned the move, calling it a violation of the First Amendment and Trump’s own executive order on free speech.

Defending the decision, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich described AP’s refusal to adopt the name change as “divisive” and said the agency was spreading misinformation.

“This decision is not just divisive, but it also exposes the Associated Press’ commitment to misinformation,” Budowich wrote on social media platform X. “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.”

Trump echoed this sentiment on Feb. 18, suggesting that AP did not deserve the privileges it had enjoyed given what he said was its consistently critical coverage of him, the Republican Party, and conservative Americans.

“They’re doing us no favors, and I guess I’m not doing them any favors—that’s the way life works,” he said.