White House bars Associated Press for using 'Gulf of Mexico'
12 Feb 2025

The Associated Press (AP) was denied access to an Oval Office executive order signing on Tuesday after it refused to adopt President Donald Trump's new name for the Gulf of Mexico.

The president had issued an executive order renaming the gulf as "Gulf of America."

AP's Executive Editor Julie Pace said that the agency was being punished for upholding its editorial standards and commitment to "factual, nonpartisan journalism."

AP's response and support from press freedom advocates
Press solidarity

"Today (Tuesday) 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," the news agency said in a statement.

Pace slammed the White House's move as a violation of the First Amendment.

AP's guidance on name change
Event details

The AP's guidance on Trump's order renaming the Gulf of America says that the news agency "will refer to it by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen."

According to the AP, this is because the gulf has been known as the Gulf of Mexico for "more than 400 years," and other countries and international entities are not required to acknowledge the name change.

AP's editorial decision amidst Trump's executive order
Naming controversy

Trump's executive order also included renaming Denali, the highest peak in North America, back to Mount McKinley.

The AP opted for Mount McKinley as the Alaskan mountain "lies solely in the United States," and Trump has full authority to change the name.

The mountain was called Mount McKinley before former President Barack Obama changed it in 2015.