AP Rebukes White House After Reporter Barred from Covering Oval Office Event

The Associated Press (AP) condemned the White House on Tuesday after one of its reporters was barred from covering an executive order signing in the Oval Office.

Julie Pace, AP’s executive editor, stated: “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 denied access to an event in the Oval Office.”

When AP refused to comply, the reporter was blocked from attending the event. Pace called the decision alarming and a clear violation of the First Amendment, emphasizing that restricting access to independent news hinders the public’s right to information. The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) also condemned the move as “unacceptable” and urged the Trump administration to reverse its decision immediately.