President Donald Trump is making it clear to the media: follow his executive orders or face the consequences.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt took a hard stance Wednesday when questioned about the administration revoking the Associated Press’ access to the Oval Office.
The issue? The news outlet continues to refer to the Gulf of Mexico by its traditional name instead of Gulf of America, as Trump decreed in one of his first executive orders.
Press Secretary Blasts Reporters Over Name Dispute
Leavitt did not hold back when addressing the controversy. “I was very upfront in my briefing on day one. If we feel that there are lies being pushed by outlets in this room, we are going to hold those lies accountable,” she stated.
She doubled down, saying, “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, but that is what it is.”
Associated Press Defends Its Stance
The Associated Press was notably absent from Trump’s joint briefing with Elon Musk on Tuesday. The outlet later responded, saying it reports for a global audience and will not change the name unless internationally recognized.
Trump’s administration, however, has pointed out that major platforms like Google and Apple Maps have adopted the new name, while National Geographic and Rand McNally have yet to make the switch.
First Amendment Battle or Petty Dispute?
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins directly challenged Leavitt, asking whether Trump planned to “retaliate against reporters who don’t use the language that you guys believe reporters should use.”
Leavitt’s response left no doubt: the White House expects compliance.
While Trump has long championed free speech, this move suggests that press freedom has its limits under his administration—at least when it comes to official White House terminology.
