The White House has indefinitely blocked Associated Press journalists from Air Force One and the Oval Office due to a dispute over the naming of the Gulf of Mexico. The White House Deputy Chief of Staff, Taylor Budowich, accused the AP of ignoring the “lawful geographic name change” to the “Gulf of America.” As a result, the AP has been barred from covering President Trump’s events since Tuesday.
AP’s editor-in-chief, Julie Pace, labeled the administration’s actions as a violation of free speech rights and criticized the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico as a disservice to their readers. The White House Press Secretary defended the name change, stating that it had been officially designated by the US Secretary of the Interior and adopted by Google and Apple on their maps.
The White House Correspondents’ Association condemned the AP’s exclusion, calling it “outrageous” and a government attempt to censor the free press. The group’s president, Eugene Daniels, highlighted the violation of the First Amendment and the president’s own executive order on freedom of speech.
While AP will be barred from certain areas, journalists and photographers will still have access to the White House complex. The situation has sparked controversy over press freedom and government censorship, with implications for how journalists can report on behalf of the American people.
Note: The image is for illustrative purposes only and is not the original image associated with the presented article. Due to copyright reasons, we are unable to use the original images. However, you can still enjoy the accurate and up-to-date content and information provided.
