Despite a Court Order, White House Barred AP From Oval Office Event

by

Despite receiving a court order, the reporter and photographer from The Associated Press were prevented from attending an Oval Office press conference on Monday featuring President Donald Trump and El Salvador’s President, Nayib Bukele.

As a fervent supporter, I’m thrilled about last week’s court ruling that halted the Trump administration from penalizing AP for rejecting their demand to rename the Gulf of Mexico. However, the administration is challenging this decision and engaging in a dispute with the news outlet regarding any necessary changes while the appeals are ongoing.

The Washington D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has scheduled a hearing for this coming Thursday regarding Trump’s appeal to postpone any modifications until his case is thoroughly examined. Meanwhile, the Associated Press is pushing for immediate access to the proceedings.

On Monday afternoon, two Associated Press photographers were granted access to a celebration for the Ohio State University’s championship football team held on the expansive South Lawn. However, a journalist from another media outlet was denied entry.

Starting mid-February, Associated Press journalists have been prevented from attending events held in the Oval Office and on Air Force One, where President Donald Trump often speaks to reporters. However, they’ve had occasional access to other areas, and regularly cover White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s briefings. Leavitt is one of three administration officials mentioned in the AP’s lawsuit.

The disagreement originates from AP’s refusal to comply with the president’s executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico, despite acknowledging Trump’s preference for it to be known as the Gulf of America. The AP contends – and U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden concurred last week – that the government cannot impose penalties on a news organization for exercising its freedom of speech rights.

On a Friday, McFadden declined Trump’s plea for further postponement in executing the decision; now, the president is petitioning an appellate court for the same relief.

According to AP spokeswoman Lauren Easton, it is anticipated that the White House will reinstate AP’s involvement in the White House press group, as instructed by the court order, starting from today.

The extent of AP’s future access remains uncertain, even with the court decision.

Prior to being barred by Trump, AP had historically enjoyed having a reporter and photographer among the select group of journalists granted access to the Oval Office. However, McFadden did not mandate that this access be reinstated; instead, she emphasized that no news organization should be excluded because the president disagrees with their reporting decisions – a principle referred to as “viewpoint discrimination.

In legal documents filed last weekend, the administration stated that no other American news organization enjoys the same level of guaranteed access as the AP did before. The AP might be used to this privileged position, but the Constitution doesn’t mandate that this special treatment should last forever.

Read More

2025-04-16 06:54