White House still blocking Associated Press from Oval Office events despite court order

The Associated Press says that the White House still hasn't gotten over that "Gulf of America" thing and continues to defy the injunction order.

By Matt Schimkowitz | April 14, 2025 | 6:43pm

Photo by Ben Hider (Getty Images)

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White House still blocking Associated Press from Oval Office events despite court order

After two months and a court order to restore their access, the Associated Press says the White House is still blocking the organization from the Oval Office. Earlier today, AP said it was prevented from entering the Oval Office meeting between President Trump and El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, where they discussed, among other things, sending U.S. citizens to their Salvadorian Gulags. Much like the people the administration is sending to El Salvador without a whiff of due process, the AP debacle is another example of the Trump administration defying a court order, a running and unsettling theme within the second Trump presidency. Per The Wrap, AP said that while they were blocked, they “expect the White House to restore AP’s participation in the pool as of today, as provided in the injunction order.”

The Trump Administration banned the organization from Oval Office meetings in February, following AP’s refusal to use the term “Gulf of America,” the President’s new pet name for the Gulf of Mexico and his litmus test for corporations, politicians, and news and media organizations. The admin wants fealty and found it in Apple, Google, and Microsoft, proud donors to the Trump inauguration that saw their own Silicon Valley golden boy throw his arm in the air and salute like he just don’t care (because he really doesn’t). Associated Press sued the Trump administration later that month, claiming that the Free Speech president had violated the First Amendment.

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Last week, U.S. District Court Judge Trevor McFadden ordered the White House to “immediately rescind the denial of AP’s access,” but it has yet to do so. The Trump Administration is treating the AP much like how they’re treating Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man who the U.S. disappeared to a Salvadoran prison without any evidence of wrongdoing. Bloomberg reports that this holds true for about 90% of the occupants of El Salvador’s famed CECOT mega-prison that our elected officials are using for content. The court ordered the White House to “facilitate” his return, which they have not done. Comedy may be legal again, but defying or challenging the president’s whims? Well, there’s not much wiggle room there.