Associated Press Barred From The Oval Office After It Refuses To Recognize Trump’s Renaming The Gulf Of Mexico As Gulf Of America

On Tuesday, an Associated Press reporter was prevented from attending a signing ceremony in the Oval Office after the organization refused to recognize President Donald Trump‘s plan to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.

“Today, we were informed by the White House that if AP did not align its editorial standards with President Donald Trump’s executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, AP would be barred from accessing an event in the Oval Office,” the statement read. “This afternoon, AP’s reporter was blocked from attending an executive order signing.”

Trump announced plans to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and restore the name of North America’s highest mountain peak, Denali, to Mount McKinley during his inaugural address. 

The president praised President William McKinley, for whom the peak had been initially named, as a leader who enriched America through tariffs and talent. In August 2015,  then-U.S. President Barack Obama restored the mountain’s original name, which was given by native Alaskans.

According to an AP announcement, Trump has “signed an executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America” and has done the same for Mount Denali.

“The Gulf of Mexico has carried that name for more than 400 years,” the outlet wrote. “The Associated Press will refer to it by its original name while acknowledging Trump’s new name. 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.”

“The AP regularly reviews its style guidance regarding name changes, in part to ensure its guidance reflects common usage,” they added. “We’ll continue to apply that approach to this guidance and make updates as needed.”

However, AP stated it “will use the official name change to Mount McKinley.”

“The area lies solely in the United States, and as president, Trump has the authority to change federal geographical names within the country,” they noted.

“The AP Stylebook will be updated to reflect both decisions,” AP mentioned.

In early January, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) vowed to introduce a bill changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.”