Donald Trump previously booted the Associated Press out of the Oval Office and Air Force One for refusing to call the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.
Posted by The Briefing with Jen Psaki, Checked
- Sources
- 5 support1 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 93%
The Briefing with Jen PsakiSep 24, 2026
Multiple tier1 and tier2 sources (Reuters, The Hill, CBS, Politico, CNN) report that the White House barred AP from the Oval Office and Air Force One in February 2025 over its refusal to use 'Gulf of America', and Trump publicly defended the ban. The claim's 'previously' is consistent with that 2025 timing, and the extraction faithfully matches the passage.
What was said
… I was glad to see, first of all, I didn't know there was a mute button on Donald Trump, but that was interesting to see for the first time this week. But I mean, I will say this: listen, this should have happened a long time ago. When the Associated Press was booted out of the Oval Office and Air Force One for refusing to call the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, to me, that was the moment when news organizations should have banded together and said, "We're standing behind that." Would have made a difference. I think it would have set the tone much sooner, but remember, that was at a time when we were coming into the second term. …
The Briefing with Jen Psaki · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. Reuters reports that the White House barred AP journalists from the Oval Office, Air Force One and White House events for continuing to refer to the Gulf of Mexico.[1]
Supports. CBS and CNN report the White House barred AP from the Oval Office and Air Force One, with the decision tied to AP's refusal to recognize the Gulf of America name change.[2][3]
Supports. Politico reports Trump defended barring AP from Air Force One and the Oval Office, saying 'We are gonna keep them out' until AP uses 'Gulf of America'.[4]
Supports. The 2026 AP report on the newer outlet ban confirms that the AP was barred from the Oval Office and Air Force One in 2025 in retaliation for not following the Gulf renaming.[5]
Context. The AP lawsuit remains ongoing, and a federal judge declined to immediately restore AP access in February 2025; this does not affect the truth of the claimed ban.[1][6]
Sources
6 sources: 1 fact-checker, 3 tier 2, 1 not rated, 1 tier 1
- 1US judge allows Trump's AP Oval Office ban to stand over ...reuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports, context
- 2White House bars Associated Press from spaces like Oval ... - CBS …cbsnews.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 3The White House bans the AP indefinitely over the use of ‘Gulf of Mexico’ | CNN Businesscnn.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 4Trump defends barring the Associated Press from Air Force ...politico.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 5MS NOW, CNN and Politico say their journalists were denied access to White House after Trump bankrgv.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 6Trump's media bans 'deprive the public', press freedom ...bbc.co.uk · tier 1 · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- Donald Trump previously banned Associated Press reporters from the Oval Office, Air Force One, and Mar-a-Lago.True
- Donald Trump decreed that the Gulf of Mexico should be called the Gulf of America.True
- Donald Trump changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America on Google Maps.Mixed
- Donald Trump previously banned the Pentagon Press Corps.Mixed
- Apple changed its policies or actions regarding 'Lake America' due to pressure from Donald Trump.True