The Associated Press (AP) reported on Tuesday that its White House correspondent was barred from attending an Oval Office event after refusing to adopt President Donald Trump’s directive to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.” The decision by the Trump administration has sparked concerns over press freedom and First Amendment rights.
President Trump issued an executive order on his first day back in office, renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.” He justified the decision by emphasizing the Gulf’s economic importance to the United States, including its oil reserves, fisheries, and tourism opportunities. However, this renaming is only recognized within U.S. jurisdiction and has been rejected by Mexico and other international entities.
The name “Gulf of Mexico” originates from the ancient Mexica civilization, better known as the Aztecs. The Aztecs, whose empire centered around present-day Mexico City, referred to themselves as the Mēxihcah. The term became synonymous with the broader region as the Spanish colonized the area. The name “Gulf of Mexico” first appeared on a world map in 1550.
Much of what is now known as the United States, including Texas, California, Nevada, Utah, most of Arizona, most of New Mexico, and parts of Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, and Oklahoma were in Mexico until the mid-1800s.
Trump also signed another executive order reverting Denali, North America’s tallest peak, back to its previous name, Mount McKinley. Unlike the Gulf renaming, AP has agreed to adopt this change since it pertains solely to U.S. territory and falls within presidential authority.
The Associated Press (AP) responded to President Donald Trump’s executive orders on the Gulf of Mexico and Denali with updates to its widely used style guide. The AP’s decisions reflect its commitment to maintaining global recognition and journalistic consistency.
The AP announced that it would continue to refer to the body of water as the “Gulf of Mexico,” citing its 400-year historical name and global recognition. While acknowledging Trump’s executive order renaming it as the “Gulf of America,” the AP emphasized that the name change holds authority only within the United States and is not recognized internationally.
The Associated Press serves billions of people worldwide with factual, nonpartisan journalism.
The AP explained that, as a global news agency, it must ensure geographical names are easily identifiable to audiences worldwide. It also noted that its style guide sometimes allows for dual naming conventions, such as the Gulf of California, which is also known as the Sea of Cortez.
For Denali, North America’s tallest peak, the AP updated its style guide to reflect Trump’s executive order reverting the name back to “Mount McKinley.” It justified this decision by noting that the mountain lies entirely within U.S. borders and that Trump, as president, has the authority to rename federal geographical features.
The AP acknowledged the mountain’s historical significance to Alaska Natives, who have called it Denali for millennia, but stated it would follow the official U.S. designation in this case.
Julie Pace, AP’s Executive Editor, stated that the White House informed the news agency earlier in the day that access to the event would be denied unless AP aligned its editorial standards with Trump’s executive order. The event in question involved the signing of another executive order and a discussion with billionaire advisor Elon Musk. Despite this, AP maintained its stance, continuing to refer to the body of water by its historical name while acknowledging Trump’s newly designated term.
Pace criticized the administration’s actions, calling them a punitive measure against independent journalism. “Restricting our access to the Oval Office based on our editorial stance not only hinders public access to unbiased news but also clearly violates the First Amendment,” she said in a statement.
Google Maps, Apple Maps and Microsoft have committed to changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico on their platforms.
