The Associated Press filed a lawsuit on Friday against three officials in President Donald Trump’s administration, seeking to restore access to presidential events after a 10-day ban that the news agency claims violate the First Amendment.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., argues that the White House unlawfully restricted AP journalists from covering press events, including at Mar-a-Lago and aboard Air Force One, as retaliation for refusing to adopt the administration’s terminology change from the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt walks to the West Wing of the White House following a television interview on February 21, 2025, in Washington, DC.
AFP/Getty Images
White House Chief of Staff Susan Wiles, Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt were named as defendants.
When reached for comment Friday night by Newsweek, Steven Cheung, White House Director of Communications, said, “The AP’s frivolous and demented lawsuit is nothing more than a blatant PR stunt masquerading as a first amendment case. They are clearly suffering from a severe, debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome that has rotted their peanut-sized brains. We will defeat them in court just like we crushed their leftist reporters at the ballot box.”
Why It Matters
Trump barred the AP from covering some events because the news organization refused to follow his directive to call the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.”
The president signed an executive order renaming the gulf on his first day in office. But the AP announced on January 23 that it would continue referring to the Gulf of Mexico by its original name because it “has carried that name for more than 400 years.”
Media outlets, including Newsweek, vhich follow AP style continue referring to the Gulf by its original name.
What To Know
In an email to the Associated Press, White House Chief of Staff Susan Wiles acknowledged that the news organization was singled out due to the widespread influence of its stylebook, which serves as a standard for journalists, scholars, and students nationwide, according to the lawsuit.
Wiles expressed the administration’s hope that the name change would be incorporated into the AP Stylebook, particularly for American audiences.
“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,” the AP stated in its complaint.
“This targeted attack on the AP’s editorial independence and ability to gather and report the news strikes at the very core of the First Amendment,” the lawsuit continued, calling on the court to intervene immediately.
The Trump administration has defended its actions, with the president stating, “We’re going to keep them out until such time as they agree that it’s the Gulf of America.”
Leavitt said that she learned about the lawsuit Friday while driving from the White House to an appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).
“I wanted to get the White House counsel on the phone before taking this stage to see what I can and cannot say but look, we feel we are in the right in this position,” she said. “We’re going to ensure that truth and accuracy is present at that White House every single day.”
On Thursday, the conservative outlet Newsmax joined other media outlets in rebuking the White House for indefinitely banning the Associated Press from covering President Donald Trump aboard Air Force One and in the Oval Office.
It was a rare show of solidarity from the right-wing network, which frequently promotes pro-Trump views on its airwaves and was sued after repeating unsubstantiated allegations that the 2020 election was unlawfully stolen from Trump.
“We can understand President Trump’s frustration because the media has often been unfair to him, but Newsmax still supports the AP’s right, as a private organization, to use the language it wants to use in its reporting,” Newsmax said in a statement first obtained by the New York Times and confirmed by Newsweek.
“We fear a future administration may not like something Newsmax writes and seek to ban us,” the statement said. “This is why news organizations like Newsmax and Fox News are supporting the AP’s First Amendment rights though we may disagree with its editorial point of view from time to time.”
What People Are Saying
Leavitt said in a press conference last week: “I was very up front in my briefing on day one that if we feel that there are lies being pushed by outlets in this room, we are going to hold those lies accountable. It is a fact that the body of water off the coast of Louisiana is called the Gulf of America. I’m not sure why news outlets don’t want to call it that, but that is what it is.
The White House Correspondents Association said in a letter this week: “The First Amendment prohibits the government from asserting control over how news organizations make editorial decisions. Any attempt to punish journalists for those decisions is a serious breach of this Constitutional protection. The decision to exclude The Associated Press from covering the president aboard Air Force One and in the Oval Office is an escalation of a dispute that does not serve the presidency or the public. News organizations must be free to make their own editorial decisions without fear of government intrusion.”
What Happens Next
Julie Pace, the AP’s executive editor, met with Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, on Wednesday to discuss reinstating the news organization’s access to the Oval Office and Air Force One. As of Friday, the White House has not given any indication of whether it will lift its ban.
This is a developing news story and will be updated as more information is available.
Update: 2/21/25, 4:55 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
Update: 2/21/25, 5:02 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
Update: 2/21/25, 6:57 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
Update: 2/21/25, 7:55 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with comments from the White House.
