The Executive Editor of the news outlet Associated Press has released a statement addressing the ban of one of the news site’s reporters from an event at the Oval Office.

According to a recent report, the White House recently denied access to an Associated Press (AP) reporter for an event in the Oval Office on Tuesday afternoon after the news organization did not change its terminology regarding the Gulf of Mexico.

President Donald Trump had reportedly ordered that the body of water be renamed the “Gulf of America,” and the AP was asked to reflect this change in its reporting.

The unnamed AP reporter was prevented from entering the White House event as they normally would. Later that same day, a second AP journalist was also barred from attending another event held in the Diplomatic Reception Room. The AP has not disclosed the identity of the reporters involved.

In response to the ban, the AP has publicly condemned the White House’s decision to bar its reporters from the Oval Office event after they did not adhere to an editorial demand from the Trump administration.

In a statement released Tuesday, AP Executive Editor Julie Pace emphasized the organization’s commitment to delivering factual and nonpartisan journalism to a global audience.

Pace revealed that the White House had informed AP that failure to comply with Trump’s executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” would result in restricted access to official events.

She described the move as alarming, arguing that the administration’s actions amount to punishment for independent journalism.

Pace further asserted that restricting AP’s access based on editorial decisions not only undermines press freedom but also violates the First Amendment, which protects free speech and a free press.

Instead of following the executive order to change the name completely in their editorial operations, AP has decided to keep referring to the Gulf of Mexico as its original name. However, they will do so while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen.

Trump’s order to change the region’s name comes just over a month after he first made the public aware of his intention to do so. Video footage captured on January 7, 2025, by media outlet ABC, shows the moment the president addressed the press about the matter.

“We’re going to be announcing at a future date, pretty soon we’re going to change—because we do most of the work there and it’s ours—we’re going to be changing—sort of the opposite of Biden, where he’s closing everything up, essentially getting rid of 50 to 60 trillion dollars worth of assets—we’re gonna be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the ‘Gulf of America,'” announced Trump.

He also noted his belief in the new name having a “beautiful ring,” adding, “that covers a lot of territory. The ‘Gulf of America,’ what a beautiful name, and it’s appropriate, it’s appropriate.”