Incident
United States: White House exclusion of the Associated Press from the Oval Office and Air Force One, February 2025
United StatesRSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180
- Access bans
- Stage Restrict
- Ongoing
On February 11, 2025, the White House, the office of the president of the United States, began barring journalists from the Associated Press (AP), a United States news agency, from the Oval Office and Air Force One, the aircraft that carries the president. The exclusion followed AP's decision to keep using the name "Gulf of Mexico" after an executive order of the president, Donald Trump, renamed the body of water the "Gulf of America" for United States federal purposes. Trump told reporters, "We're going to keep them out until such time as they agree that it's the Gulf of America," according to NPR. AP sued on February 21, 2025; as of 2026-09-22, a partial stay by a federal appeals court leaves AP excluded from the Oval Office and Air Force One.1
What happened
On February 11, 2025, the White House began excluding Associated Press journalists from the Oval Office, the president's office, and from Air Force One, the president's aircraft. AP's style guide had continued to use the name "Gulf of Mexico" after an executive order, a written directive of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, renamed it the "Gulf of America" for United States federal purposes. AP said it would keep using the historical name while noting the new one.2341
On February 21, 2025, AP sued White House officials, including Taylor Budowich, the White House deputy chief of staff, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, the federal trial court in Washington, D.C. (Associated Press v. Budowich, No. 1:25-cv-00532). The complaint alleges "First Amendment retaliation," a claim under the part of the United States Constitution that protects freedom of the press.2341
On February 25, 2025, a federal judge declined to order AP's access restored immediately while the case proceeded, according to Euronews. The case later produced a preliminary injunction, a partial stay by the D.C. Circuit, the federal appeals court for Washington, D.C., and a refusal by the full appeals court to rehear the case (see the case page).2341
Status as of 2026-09-22: Partly in effect. Under a partial stay granted 2 to 1 by the D.C. Circuit on 2025-06-06, AP remains excluded from the Oval Office, Air Force One, Mar-a-Lago and the Cabinet Room and keeps access to the East Room. See Associated Press v. Budowich.4
What reason was given
Stated justificationTrump told reporters in February 2025, "We're going to keep them out until such time as they agree that it's the Gulf of America," according to NPR. The White House tied AP's access to its use of the name set by the executive order.2
What changed for reporting
AP reporters and photographers lost access to the Oval Office and Air Force One, small spaces where the news agency had held a regular place in the rotating press pool that covers the president. Trump and his aides barred AP's White House reporters from "dozens of events since February," including events limited to the pool, according to NPR.3
Timeline
2025
Who acted
| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Donald Trump | ordered | President of the United States |
| Taylor Budowich | enforced | White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications |
| White House Press Office | enforced | Office of the White House Press Secretary |
Outlets and journalists
| Name | Kind | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| The Associated Press | outlet | affected |
Court cases
| Case | Court | Docket | Status | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Associated Press v. Budowich | U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia; U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit | 1:25-cv-00532 (D.D.C.); No. 25-5109 (D.C. Cir.) | on appeal | arising from |
Sources
- White House bans Associated Press from Oval Office, Air Force One archived copy
- AP sues White House officials over Gulf of America access ban archived copy
- US judge refuses to immediately overturn Trump's AP White House ban archived copy
- Judge orders AP's Oval Office, Air Force One access restored archived copy
- Associated Press v. Budowich archived copy
- White House blocks AP reporter from Oval Office event over 'Gulf of America' policy archived copy
Claims and evidence
Each numbered claim quotes the source it rests on.
- The White House first barred an Associated Press reporter from an Oval Office event on Tuesday, February 11, 2025.
The White House blocked an Associated Press reporter from an event in the Oval Office on Tuesday because the news agency has not altered its style on the Gulf of Mexico
White House blocks AP reporter from Oval Office event over 'Gulf of America' policy archived copy, Voice of America, 2025-02-12.Claim 108, checked 2026-09-22. - Access was conditioned on AP adopting the administration's preferred name for the Gulf of Mexico.
We're going to keep them out until such time as they agree that it's the Gulf of America.
AP sues White House officials over Gulf of America access ban archived copy, NPR, 2025-02-21.Claim 29, checked 2026-09-22. - AP journalists lost access to two of the venues most central to day-to-day presidential coverage.
Trump and his aides have barred the news service's White House reporters from dozens of events since February, including events limited to the reporting pool
Judge orders AP's Oval Office, Air Force One access restored archived copy, NPR, 2025-04-08.Claim 30, checked 2026-09-22. - The D.C. Circuit's partial stay leaves the Oval Office, Air Force One, Mar-a-Lago and Cabinet Room off-limits to AP while preserving its East Room access.
On June 6, 2025, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Circuit of the District of Columbia, composed of judges Cornelia Pillard, Gregory G. Katsas, and Neomi Rao, granted in part a stay pending appeal, in a 2-1 decision.
Associated Press v. Budowich archived copy, Wikipedia.Claim 31, checked 2026-09-22.