After President Donald Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of the Americas,” the White House banned news organizations from reporting on it after they refused to refer to it as the “Gulf of the Americas.”
Published November 24, 2025
The Associated Press and the Trump administration are back in a U.S. federal appeals court in a dispute over media access.
The Associated Press argued Monday that news organizations should not be punished for their views and that the White House should let the president decide who can question him in the Oval Office.
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In February, the Associated Press filed a lawsuit against three officials in President Donald Trump’s administration, including White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt, after reporters were barred from a “pool” of journalists who closely follow Trump.
The administration’s action was in response to the Associated Press’ organizational decision to continue using the term “Gulf of Mexico” as its default style after President Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of the United States,” the newspaper said.
The case has been heard in federal district court throughout the year and more recently in the federal appeals court.
AP Editor-in-Chief Julie Pace said in an op-ed published Monday morning that access issues are not unique to AP. It depends on people having access to a government that works for them.
“When we talk about freedom of the press, we are actually talking about your freedom. Reporters ask questions, photographers take pictures, and video journalists record history for you to ensure you are informed about things you may not have time to unearth, see, or learn on your own,” Pace wrote.
“Giving the government control over which journalists can cover the nation’s highest offices and setting rules for what those journalists can say and write is a direct attempt to undermine the First Amendment,” Pace wrote. “That should worry us all.”
The Trump administration has said decisions about access to areas with limited space rest with the White House, not news organizations. The White House Correspondents Association has determined who joins the press pool since President Dwight Eisenhower’s 1953-61 administration. The White House reset that tradition in February, saying it wanted to expand access to include other news organizations.
“The Associated Press is legally incorrect to suggest that the White House does not have the authority to restrict who may engage in reporting from sensitive areas of the White House,” the administration said in its supporting brief.
A lower court ruled this spring that the government could not retaliate for media outlets’ speech, but an appeals court halted any action on the ruling pending an appeal.
AP Style also recommends allowing President Trump to rename the Gulf Coast. The president said access would remain restricted until the AP’s style changes.
About 40 news organizations and outlets, from ProPublica to Fox News Channel, along with the New York Times and Washington Post, filed briefs in support of The Associated Press.
“When a news organization becomes cold, no matter how many reporters and cameras remain in the room, the news organization and the nation as a whole lose out,” the news organization said.
