Reporter blocked from Oval Office by Donald Trump for using the term 'Gulf of Mexico' The White House blocked an Associated Press reporter from an event in the Oval Office on Tuesday after demanding the news agency alter its style on the Gulf of Mexico, which President Donald Trump has ordered renamed the Gulf of America.
Before his January 20 inauguration, Trump announced plans to change the Gulf of Mexico's name to the "Gulf of America" — and signed an executive order to do so as soon as he was in office.
The agency said the highly unusual ban, which Trump administration officials had threatened earlier Tuesday unless the AP changed the style on the Gulf, could have constitutional free-speech implications.
The White House Correspondents Association called the White House move unacceptable and called on the administration to change course.
"The White House cannot dictate how news organisations report the news, nor should it penalise working journalists because it is unhappy with their editors' decision," said Eugene Daniels, WHCA's president.
