On Tuesday, February 18, 2025, Donald Trump told reporters that he would continue restricting the Associated Press (AP) access until the media outlet agrees to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
“We’re going to keep them out until such time as they agree that it’s the Gulf of America,” Trump told reporters. “We’re very proud of this country, and we want it to be the Gulf of America.”
On January 20, 2025, Donald Trump signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. He also declared that Denali should be referred to as Mount McKinley.
“We’re going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring that covers a lot of territory, the Gulf of America,” Trump said in January. “What a beautiful name. And it’s appropriate. It’s appropriate. And Mexico has to stop allowing millions of people to pour into our country.”
In response, Axios and FOX News have begun referring to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. At the same time, The New York Times and The Washington Post have elected not to do so.
“The Gulf of Mexico has carried that name for more than 400 years,” the AP stated. “The Associated Press will refer to it by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen. 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.”
On February 11, 2025, two reporters representing the Associated Press were reportedly denied entrance to Trump’s Florida estate. Instead, they were forced to watch the press conference via television feed and were unable to ask questions.
The White House maintains journalists representing the AP “will retain their credentials to the White House complex,” but a photographer and a journalist working for the AP were recently denied access to Air Force One for Trump’s weekend trip to Florida. When speaking to Axios, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich said the Trump administration’s dispute with the AP “isn’t just about the Gulf of America.”
“This is about AP weaponizing language through their stylebook to push a partisan worldview in contrast with the traditional and deeply held beliefs of many Americans and many people around the world,” Budowich said.
The White House is reportedly displeased with the AP’s guidance on phrases concerning gender, immigration, race, and law enforcement. More specifically, an article published by the Associated Press says the White House has an issue with the “AP Stylebook’s use of the phrase ‘gender-affirming care’ to describe medical treatments for transgender people, and the capitalization of Black and not white in racial descriptions.”
“[The Associated Press] is a global, fact-based, nonpartisan news organization with thousands of customers around the world who span the political spectrum,” Associated Press Vice President of Corporate Communications Lauren Easton told Axios. “If AP journalism wasn’t factual and nonpartisan, this wouldn’t be the case.”
