White House Kerfuffle Erupts Over Use of ‘Gulf of Mexico' Amid Trump's New ‘Gulf of America'
A White House kerfuffle has erupted over presidential access and First Amendment rights this week after reporters with the Associated Press were denied access to Oval Office events because the news agency has continued using the term Gulf of Mexico, rather than President Donald Trump's revised, 'Gulf of America.'
The White House said on Wednesday that it would continue to punish the agency for 'telling lies' by continuing to use the body of water's original name. AP reporters were barred from entering events in the Oval Office and the White House's Diplomatic Reception Room, the agency reports; later, AP staff were turned away at the Oval Office swearing-in of new National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard.
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'It is a fact that the body of water off the coast of Louisiana is called the Gulf of America, and I'm not sure why news outlets don't want to call it that,' White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said at Wednesday's press briefing.
On Jan. 20, Trump signed Executive Order 14172, dubbed, 'Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness.' The order, one of a flurry that came immediately as he took office, called for the renaming of the body of water composed of 'the U.S. Continental Shelf area bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the State of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida and extending to the seaward boundary with Mexico and Cuba in the area formerly named as the Gulf of Mexico.'
Trump had brought up the forthcoming change during his inaugural address on Jan. 20. Cameras caught Hilary Clinton, sitting in the audience, laughing at the announcement.
'America will reclaim its rightful place as the greatest, most powerful, most respected nation on earth, inspiring the awe and admiration of the entire world,' Trump said. 'A short time from now, we are going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, and we will restore the name of a great president, William McKinley, to Mount McKinley, where it should be and where it belongs.'
On Jan. 23, the AP, whose influential style book is used across hundreds of news organizations and is considered by millions to be a gold standard for news writing, responded to the unusual Executive Order on Jan. 23, saying it will keep using the traditional name for the body, the Gulf of Mexico, while giving Trump's name a nod.
'The body of water has shared borders between the U.S. and Mexico. Trump's order only carries authority within the United States. Mexico, as well as other countries and international bodies, do not have to recognize the name change,' the AP wrote in its missive. '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. As a global news agency that disseminates news around the world, the AP must ensure that place names and geography are easily recognizable to all audiences.'
The agency went on to explain that it understands the fluidity of language and that names of places and things change all of the time. This is regularly reviewed and guidance regarding name changes has shifted in several instances; the distinction between the Gulf of California, a name used in the U.S., and the Sea of Cortez, which refers to the inlet that separates the Baja California peninsula from the Mexico mainland.
The agency also noted that it will now revert to calling the Alaskan mountain Denali since it was changed in 2015 by former President Barack Obama back to Mt. Mckinley. The AP justified making the change as the mountain is entirely within America's borders.
'The area lies solely in the United States and as president, Trump has the authority to change federal geographical names within the country,' the AP wrote.
On Thursday, while reporting on the situation, the AP claimed that this marks an escalation in Trump's adversarial relationship with the media as his administration is 'regulating language used by independent media.'
'The actions taken by this White House were plainly intended to punish the AP for the content of its speech,' Julie Pace, AP's senior vice president and executive editor, wrote to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles on Wednesday. 'It is among the most basic tenets of the First Amendment that the government cannot retaliate against the public or the press for what they say.'
The White House has justified the punitive actions by stating that any access granted at the White House or to Trump is a privilege, not a right.
'Nobody has the right to go into the Oval Office and ask the president of the United States questions. We reserve the right to decide who gets to go into the Oval Office,' Leavitt said, later adding, 'Pretty much every other outlet in this room has recognized that body of water as the Gulf of America.'
It's unclear how many publications are falling in line with the Trump-coined 'Gulf of America' but Google did replace the name on its popular Google Maps application and website. The tech giant explained the change on Feb. 10.
'People using Maps in the U.S. will see 'Gulf of America,' and people in Mexico will see 'Gulf of Mexico.' Everyone else will see both names,' the company's statement reads.
Soon, Apple and Microsoft decided to hop on the Gulf of America bandwagon, claiming that the policy is to follow the U.S. Geographic Names Information System.
A poll from Marquette University, released on Wednesday, said that 71 percent of respondents opposed renaming the body of water and 29 percent were on board with the new Gulf of America name.
As for the AP, the organization has a strong backer. White House Correspondents' Association president Eugene Daniels has said the organization stands with the agency and said that the Trump administration should 'immediately change course.'
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