Trump challenges court command to stop blacklisting reporters

(MENAFN) The Associated Press (AP) reported that its journalist and photographer were denied access to U.S. President Donald Trump’s press conference with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele on Monday, despite a court order reinstating their access. The White House excluded the AP team from the event after Trump had previously barred the agency from most presidential functions.

In February, the White House imposed the ban on AP after the news agency refused to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the ‘Gulf of America,’ a name Trump officially introduced in January. The AP stated that as a global news agency, it was important to use widely recognized place names for clarity.

In response to the ongoing situation, a federal court in Washington, DC, ruled last week that the ban violated the First Amendment. Judge Trevor N. McFadden wrote that if the government opens its doors to some journalists, it cannot exclude others based on their viewpoints. However, the White House has appealed the decision.

Despite the court’s ruling, the AP journalists remain excluded from high-profile areas such as the Oval Office and Air Force One but still receive limited access to other events, including briefings by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Trump has long criticized the media, calling it “fake news,” and has frequently targeted reporters who challenge or question his administration. Recently, Leavitt reprimanded an AP reporter for what she deemed an "insulting" question about Trump’s tariff policy.

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