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Associated Press Sues the Trump Administration Over Access to the White House

Friday 28 - 10:35 By: Zahouani Ilham

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The Associated Press (AP) has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, seeking a federal court ruling to restore its full access to the White House, which has been suspended for over a month and a half. AP representatives urged the court on Thursday to intervene and reverse this restriction.

On February 24, a federal judge had dismissed AP’s request for immediate reinstatement of its access without ruling on the core issue. The judge instructed both parties to submit written arguments and set a hearing to address the matter.

During the hearing on Thursday, the judge did not issue a ruling but indicated that a decision would be made "at the appropriate time."

The AP's access was restricted, particularly to the Oval Office and Air Force One, after the agency refused to comply with a decree signed by Donald Trump renaming the Gulf of Mexico to "Gulf of America."

On February 21, AP filed a lawsuit against several White House officials, including Susie Wiles, the chief of staff, Taylor Budowich, a deputy, and Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson. Charles Tobin, the agency’s lawyer, condemned the restrictions as "shameful retaliation," arguing that it had a chilling effect on U.S. journalism as a whole.

Evan Vucci, AP’s chief White House photographer, testified that since their removal, the agency has struggled to compete with other media outlets.

A representative from the Department of Justice, Brian Hudak, responded on behalf of the Trump administration, stating that granting these accesses was within the discretion of the White House. He argued that the First Amendment did not grant the press any rights beyond those afforded to the public.

The AP’s lawsuit emphasizes that the press and U.S. citizens have the right to freely choose their words and not face retaliation from the government. The agency warned that this case could pose a threat to the freedom of all Americans.

The Trump administration countered that the case concerns whether the Constitution requires the U.S. president to prioritize AP over other media outlets or grant it special privileges just because previous administrations chose to do so. It firmly stated, "the answer is a categorical 'no.'"

In an editorial, AP clarified that the presidential decree renaming the Gulf of Mexico is only applicable in the U.S., and other countries, including Mexico, are not bound to follow it. The agency stated that it would continue to refer to the gulf by its original name while acknowledging Trump’s newly chosen name. It reminded readers that the Gulf of Mexico had held its name for over 400 years.

Founded in 1846 by New York newspapers, AP employs over 3,000 people worldwide. In 2023, the agency published more than 375,000 articles, 1.24 million photos, and 80,000 videos.