The White House said on Wednesday that news organisations which refuse to use President Donald Trump’s new name for the Gulf of Mexico were telling “lies” and insisted it would continue to bar Associated Press (AP) journalists from presidential events.
Mr Trump has decreed that the international body of water — which borders Mexico, the United States and other nations — be called the Gulf of America.
AP said it would continue to use the Gulf of Mexico, while also noting Mr Trump’s decision, to ensure that names of geographical features are recognisable around the world.
The White House’s outright attempt at regulating language used by independent media — and the punitive measures attached to it — mark a sharp escalation in Mr Trump’s often fraught dealings with news organisations.
At a regular briefing on Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said: “It is a fact that the body of water off the coast of Louisiana is called the Gulf of America, and I’m not sure why news outlets don’t want to call it that.
“Nobody has the right to go into the Oval Office and ask the president of the United States questions. We reserve the right to decide who gets to go into the Oval Office.”
Asked if barring AP reporters was retaliatory, MS Leavitt said the Interior Secretary has codified the name change in official documents and that “pretty much every other outlet in this room has recognised that body of water as the Gulf of America”.
In reality, the area lies partially in waters that do not belong to the United States and has been called the Gulf of Mexico for hundreds of years.
On Tuesday, AP reporters were blocked from attending events in the Oval Office and the White House’s Diplomatic Reception Room.
While an AP reporter was in the White House briefing room on Wednesday for Ms Leavitt’s remarks, they were turned away at a later event in the Oval Office for the swearing-in of Tulsi Gabbard as national intelligence director.
Julie Pace, AP’s senior vice president and executive editor, wrote to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles on Wednesday objecting to the moves.
“The actions taken by this White House were plainly intended to punish the AP for the content of its speech,” Mr Pace wrote.
“It is among the most basic tenets of the First Amendment that the government cannot retaliate against the public or the press for what they say.”
