The White House barred the Associated Press (AP) indefinitely on Friday from the Oval Office and Air Force One for its “commitment to misinformation” by refusing to recognize the “Gulf of America” as its official name.
“This [AP] decision is not just divisive, but it also exposes the Associated Press’ commitment to misinformation,” White House Deputy Chief of Staff and Cabinet Secretary Taylor Budowich said in an X post.
The Associated Press, which threatened to sue, claims the White House is abridging its First Amendment rights by cutting off their access, but Budowich dismantled that contention.
“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,” he said:
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.
The White House’s statement is the latest in the AP’s ongoing feud over the gulf’s name change, which caused the outlet’s absence at three White House events this week.
In response, the establishment media are weighing whether or not to boycott White House events to support the AP, allowing “Breitbart … to take their places,” CNN reported Friday.
President Donald Trump designated the name change in January, and Google Maps and Apple Maps updated their maps to reflect the new Gulf of America designation.
The AP’s decision to spurn the name change is contrary to its past updates to its style guide. In 2020, for instance, it updated its style guide of “black” people to “Black” people.
Wendell Husebo is a political reporter with Breitbart News and a former RNC War Room Analyst. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality. Follow Wendell on “X” @WendellHusebø or on Truth Social @WendellHusebo.
