White House Pressures AP to Rename Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America
The White House has instructed the Associated Press to call the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, threatening event access for noncompliance. AP stands by its independent naming conventions.
The White House has directed the Associated Press (AP) to refer to the body of water west of Florida as the "Gulf of America," threatening access to an Oval Office event if they do not comply.
On Tuesday, the AP was excluded from an executive order signing due to their refusal to adopt this new terminology. Julie Pace, the executive editor of AP, expressed concern over the situation, stating, "It is alarming that the Trump administration would punish AP for its independent journalism." She noted that restricting access based on the content of AP's reporting undermines the First Amendment and the public’s right to independent news.
The White House's ultimatum came with an explicit warning that a refusal to change the name would result in being barred from future events. The administration has not yet responded to requests for comment on this demand.
In a previous statement from late January, the AP contended that President Trump's directive to call it the Gulf of America "only carries authority" within the United States. They confirmed their intention to continue using the Gulf of Mexico designation, while recognizing the new name as proposed by Trump.
The AP emphasized their obligation as a global news agency to utilize place names and geographical terms that remain recognizable to all audiences. They also highlighted instances where names differ internationally, such as the Gulf of California, known in Mexico as the Sea of Cortez.
Despite the controversy, after Trump issued an executive order changing North America's tallest peak from Denali back to Mount McKinley, the AP decided to adopt that change, noting that it only affects the United States and that "Trump has the authority to change federal geographical names within the country."
