Trump Comes Up with Perfect Punishment for AP Reporter After AP Rejects 'Gulf of America' Renaming
There’s a storm over the Gulf of America.
President Donald Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America in one of his first executive orders.
As a result, “Gulf of America” is now entering the flow of official and unofficial communications, as seen last month when Chevron used the name in an earnings release, according to CNBC.
Google said its Google Maps product will label the gulf in different ways depending on a user’s location, so Mexican users will see Gulf of Mexico, Americans will see Gulf of America, and the rest of the world will see both names.
But the Associated Press has rejected going with the flow — and is now crying foul.
“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,” said Julie Pace, the executive editor of AP, according to Fox News.
“It is alarming that the Trump administration would punish AP for its independent journalism,” Pace said. “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.”
Today our @AP White House reporter was denied access to the Oval Office because the Associated Press recognizes the international body of water on our southern coastline as the Gulf of Mexico, while acknowledging President Donald Trump’s order to rename it the Gulf of America.…
— Tara Copp (@TaraCopp) February 11, 2025
“Today our @AP White House reporter was denied access to the Oval Office because the Associated Press recognizes the international body of water on our southern coastline as the Gulf of Mexico, while acknowledging President Donald Trump’s order to rename it the Gulf of America,” AP correspondent Tara Copp posted on X.
BREAKING: Trump brings Elon Musk and his son into the Oval Office as he signs an executive order, singlehandedly humanizing children and promoting parenting in front of millions.
Normalize this.
Kids aren’t burdens—they’re the future.
pic.twitter.com/3m1HYaowER— Anna Lulis (@annamlulis) February 11, 2025
AP defended its refusal to use Trump’s official name change by saying it is a worldwide organization, according to CBS.
“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,” its guidance said.
The allegation that the AP was slapped by the president drew condemnation.
Trump is the president of America you listen to what your president says.
AP reporter was barred from entering the Oval Office after the organization refused to update its guidelines by replacing “Gulf of Mexico” with “Gulf of America.” pic.twitter.com/tb93jJUXYC— Victor Bigham 🇺🇸 (@Ravious101) February 12, 2025
“Punishing journalists for not adopting state-mandated terminology is an alarming attack on press freedom,” the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression said.
“That’s viewpoint discrimination, and it’s unconstitutional. President Trump has the authority to change how the U.S. government refers to the Gulf. But he cannot punish a news organization for using another term,” the group said.
The Oval Office order signing was attended by multiple other representatives of media organizations.
In the executive order officially changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, Trump wrote, that the gulf “is a vital region for the multi-billion-dollar U.S. maritime industry, providing some of the largest and most impressive ports in the world. The Gulf will continue to play a pivotal role in shaping America’s future and the global economy, and in recognition of this flourishing economic resource and its critical importance to our Nation’s economy and its people, I am directing that it officially be renamed the Gulf of America.”
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