“You Shall Not Pass”: President Trump Defends Not Allowing AP News in White House

President Donald Trump has defended his administration’s decision to ban the Associated Press from Air Force One and the Oval Office.

Why?

They’re citing the news organization’s refusal to adopt the term “Gulf of America” in place of the Gulf of Mexico.

In response, the White House excluded AP reporters from key events, including travel on Air Force One.

Maybe they’ll get a clue and stop fighting against President Trump. But I doubt it.

President Trump emphasized that the AP’s access would remain restricted.

“We are going to keep them out… unless the wire service agrees to make the switch to the ‘Gulf of America.'”

BREAKING: President Trump says that the AP will not be allowed to attend any events at the Oval Office or Air Force 1 until the recognize the Gulf of America. pic.twitter.com/TuMToYv9Kw

— Ian Jaeger (@IanJaeger29) February 18, 2025

“What a big meanie Trump is!” Funny how liberal media had no problem with all the woke name changes over the years, from Uncle Ben’s rice to numerous military bases.

Just shows that these people are determined to be against Trump, no matter what he does.

Politico reports:

President Donald Trump defended barring the Associated Press from the Oval Office and other high-profile, limited media events until it recognized the “Gulf of America” in its coverage, his first public comments on his administration’s increasing public hostility toward the wire service.

In a wide-ranging press conference from Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, Trump was asked what it would take for him to reconsider restrictions on the AP, after the White House barred AP’s reporters from entering the Oval Office and Air Force One last week.

“We are gonna keep them out until such time that they agree that it’s the Gulf of America, we’re very proud of this country and we want it to be the Gulf of America,” Trump told reporters.

The news organization has long been a key member of the White House pool, a smaller group of journalists that travels with the president and covers events that the entire press corp is not invited to.

Trump emphasized that legally, his administration changed the names of both the Gulf of Mexico — to the Gulf of America — and the mountain peak in Alaska now called Mount McKinley, formerly known as Denali. The AP recognized the McKinley name change because it is firmly within U.S. jurisdiction, but added that because of their global readership, they would refer to the body of water as the Gulf of Mexico while also referencing Trump’s executive order changing it to Gulf of America.

“The Associated Press just refuses to go with what the law is and what has taken place,” Trump told reporters, adding “I have the right to do it.”

🚨BREAKING🚨 Trump not backing down on removing the AP from Oval Office access.

“It’s called the Gulf of America now” 🫡 🇺🇸 🦅 pic.twitter.com/ZiuRfII8tq

— David Santa Carla 🦇 (@TheOnlyDSC) February 18, 2025