A dispute between the White House and The Associated Press appears to be escalating.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich on Friday criticized the AP for its decision to refer to the Gulf of America by its previous name, the Gulf of Mexico.
AP guidelines state, "The Gulf of Mexico has carried that name for more than 400 years. The Associated Press will refer to it by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen."
Budowich called the decision "divisive" while also claiming it "exposes the Associated Press' commitment to misinformation."
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In response, the White House said the AP would no longer have "unfettered access" to limited spaces, such as the Oval Office and Air Force One.
"Going forward, that space will now be opened up to the many thousands of reporters who have been barred from covering these intimate areas of the administration," Budowich said.
Budowich added that this is not an outright ban of the AP, noting the organization's journalists and photographers will be allowed to keep their credentials to the White House complex.
This week, the White House has reportedly barred AP journalists from events, including executive order signings and a press conference between President Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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The White House Correspondents' Association condemned the moves.
"Free speech and a free press are among the defining values of American democracy and must be preserved and protected. Our pool system is critical to ensure all of our members can cover the presidency, and prohibiting journalists from access because of their editorial decisions is viewpoint discrimination," the organization said.
Eugene Daniels, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, added, "This is a textbook violation of not only the First Amendment, but the president’s own executive order on freedom of speech and ending federal censorship. We again call on the White House to immediately reverse course and restore access to AP journalists.”
