https://www.npr.org/2025/02/21/nx-s1-5305226/ap-sues-white-house-gulf-of-america-mexico-trump
The Associated Press has sued the Trump administration for barring it from major presidential events over its refusal to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.

President Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office renaming the Gulf which directly affects usage by the federal government but holds no force outside the U.S.

The AP serves audiences and news organizations across the globe. The news agency says its guidance recommends that its journalists and the news organizations that rely on it reflect the Gulf's historic name, but acknowledge Trump's desired shift in language. In its lawsuit, the AP said that the White House's retaliation was a threat to freedom.

"The press and all people in the United States have the right to choose their own words and not be retaliated against by the government," reads the AP's lawsuit, filed by attorneys from the Ballard Spahr law firm. "The Constitution does not allow the government to control speech. Allowing such government control and retaliation to stand is a threat to every American's freedom."

After it was barred, there had been a flurry of appeals and private protests by several media outlets and diplomatic overtures to resolve the matter, even as both sides indicated they would not budge.

The AP says its journalists remained blocked from major events at the Oval Office, Air Force One, Trump's private estate in Florida, Mar-a-Lago, and other spots where journalists with White House press credentials are routinely welcomed. Such events as Trump's press conference with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was off limits to AP reporters, as was Trump's press conference at which he explained he would keep the ban on AP reporters to key events in place.

On Tuesday, Trump told reporters, "We're going to keep them out until such time as they agree that it's the Gulf of America."