The US government has banned the Associated Press (AP) from the White House over using the Gulf of Mexico’s name, which President Donald Trump has ordered to be changed to the “Gulf of America.”
The Trump administration declared on Friday that the AP, one of the largest news agencies in the world, is indefinitely banned from the White House and Air Force One for refusing to follow the order.
The dispute began on Tuesday, when an AP reporter was excluded from an executive order signing. AP Executive Editor Julie Pace noted, “The actions taken by the White House were plainly intended to punish the AP for the content of its speech.”
The dispute escalated on Friday when the administration confirmed that the AP would not be allowed on Air Force One either.
Trump signed an executive order last month that required the US government to rename the body of water to the “Gulf of America.”
The change has taken effect at the US government agencies. However, other countries do not recognize the new name.
Being a global news agency, the AP said that it has customers around the world and must refer to the body of water as the “Gulf of Mexico.” Other global news outlets have made similar decisions.
The AP has formally objected to the White House’s move to limit its access based on the issue, and other media organizations also have slammed the Trump administration’s decision.
The AP said that it is preparing a legal challenge. One unnamed AP staffer remarked that “It is hard to come up with a clearer case of viewpoint discrimination.”
PressTV
