The Associated Press (AP) faced a significant setback when its reporter was barred from attending an executive order signing in the Oval Office. The event, which quickly turned into a question-and-answer session with President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, highlighted tensions between the White House and the esteemed news agency. The conflict arose after the AP refused to adopt President Trump's executive order that renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. This decision led to the AP being excluded from the event, raising concerns about press freedom.
The executive order, signed shortly after Trump's inauguration, aimed to rename both the Gulf of Mexico and Denali, North America's highest peak. Denali's previous name, Mount McKinley, was changed by Barack Obama in 2015. The AP announced that it would continue to use the name Gulf of Mexico, which has been in use for over 400 years, while acknowledging the new name chosen by Trump. This editorial choice sparked a reaction from the White House, which informed the AP that failure to align its standards with Trump's order would result in restricted access to Oval Office events.
“Today we were informed by the White House that if AP did not align its editorial standards with President Donald Trump’s executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, AP would be barred from accessing an event in the Oval Office. This afternoon AP’s reporter was blocked from attending an executive order signing.” – Julie Pace
Julie Pace, the executive editor of the AP, expressed deep concern over the situation.
“It is alarming that the Trump administration would punish AP for its independent journalism.” – Julie Pace
She emphasized that limiting access based on content violates the First Amendment rights of the press. The AP's style guide is not only followed by the agency but also by thousands of journalists and writers globally. This decision underscores their commitment to providing factual and nonpartisan journalism.
“As a global news organization, The Associated Press informs billions of people around the world every day with factual, nonpartisan journalism.” – Julie Pace
Despite this controversy, Elon Musk, tasked by Trump with overhauling the US government, remains optimistic about forthcoming changes.
“The people voted for major government reform and that’s what the people are going to get.” – Elon Musk
The AP stands firm in its decision to maintain its editorial standards. They noted that other countries and international bodies are not obligated to recognize the name change.
“will refer to it by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen” – The AP
The White House has not immediately responded to requests for comment on this issue.