White House just officially banned AP from Air Force One, the Oval Office
The White House has announced that it is giving the AP “space” in the Oval Office and on Air Force One to others because the legacy wire service has refused to go along with President Donald Trump’s legal name change of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
And the fact that the White House under President Donald Trump said it would call out and oppose lies pushed by the media, a promise it has already kept several times.
The wire service has fought back, claiming the move violates the First Amendment, but actually it can continue, under the First Amendment, to report what it wants, and the First Amendment does not bestow a special “right” to access to the Oval Office or Air Force One for a specific group or person.
Ordinary citizens, in fact, are not allowed in White House press briefings, nor in Oval Office news events.
A statement from the press office said, “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.:”
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…
— Taylor Budowich (@Taylor47) February 14, 2025
The statement was from Taylor Budowich, White House deputy chief of staff.
It was the Daily Caller News Foundation that earlier reported when CNN senior political commentator Scott Jennings poked fun at AP for “not dealing in reality” over the issue.
“We have a lawful process in this country for changing the name of it, the president went through it with the Secretary of Interior [Doug Burgum] by the way … We also have the ability to change this body of water,” Jennings said. “I think, look, this smacks to me of a news organization looking for a way to pick a fight with Donald Trump over something that they don’t need to pick a fight over. He is the president and there is a lawful process that he went through to do it, so why won’t they just respect that?”
He continued, ““Why would I respect a news organization that doesn’t live in reality?”
The AP complained about the White House’s decision to bar them from the Oval Office, saying it “severely impedes the public’s access to independent journalism.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a Wednesday press briefing that reporting on-the-ground in the Oval Office is a “privilege,” and any outlets telling lies will “be held accountable.”
The report noted, “The AP is among several corporate media outlets that raked in millions of dollars from the federal government, including a $19,502,333 contract from the U.S. Agency for Global Media (AGM), stretching from 2017 to 2022.