Reporter banned from Oval Office event over editorial decision not to use 'Gulf of America,' AP says

The Associated Press on Tuesday said the White House barred its reporter from an event at the Oval Office because the news agency would not start using "Gulf of America" to describe the Gulf of Mexico.

A statement said an AP reporter was not allowed to attend the signing of an executive order in the afternoon. U.S. President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, who is in charge of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), were at the event.

Later, a second AP reporter was barred from a late-evening event in the White House Diplomatic Room.

The highly unusual ban, which Trump administration officials had threatened earlier Tuesday unless the AP changed the style on the gulf, could have constitutional free-speech implications.

"It is alarming that the Trump administration would punish AP for its independent journalism. Limiting our access to the Oval Office based on the content of AP's speech not only severely impedes the public's access to independent news, it plainly violates the First Amendment," AP executive editor Julie Pace said in the statement.

The Trump administration made no immediate announcements about the moves, and there was no indication any other journalists were affected.

After taking office, Trump ordered that the water bordered by the Southern United States, Mexico and Cuba be renamed to the Gulf of America.

In a statement last month, the AP said its reporters and editors would continue to describe the gulf "by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen." 

"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," the notice read.

'Retribution, plain and simple'

The AP's style guide is a reference for many English-language journalists around the world. It provides standardized rules for grammar, punctuation, spelling and other facets of news writing. It can be updated to reflect changes in writing style and new guidelines.

Barring the AP reporter was an affront to the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which bars the government from impeding the freedom of the press, said Tim Richardson, program director of journalism and misinformation for PEN America, the literature and free speech think-tank.

"It is retribution, plain and simple, and a shameful attempt to bully the press into ideological compliance," the organization said in a post on X.

The White House Correspondents Association called the White House move unacceptable and called on the administration to change course.

"The White House cannot dictate how news organizations report the news, nor should it penalize working journalists because it is unhappy with their editors' decision," said Eugene Daniels, WHCA's president.

This week, Google Maps began using "Gulf of America," saying it had a "longstanding practice" of following the U.S. government's lead on such matters. The other leading online map provider, Apple Maps, was still using "Gulf of Mexico" earlier Tuesday but by early evening had changed to "Gulf of America" on some browsers, though at least one search produced results for both.

Trump also decreed that the mountain in Alaska known as Mount McKinley and then by its Indigenous name, Denali, be shifted back to commemorating the 25th president. President Barack Obama had ordered it renamed Denali in 2015. AP said last month it will use the official name change to Mount McKinley because the area lies solely in the United States and Trump has the authority to change federal geographical names within the country.