A federal judge ruled against the Associated Press (AP) in its legal battle with the White House over revoked access to presidential events, rejecting the outlet’s request to regain entry to exclusive venues such as the Oval Office, Air Force One and Mar-a-Lago. The AP had filed suit against White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, chief of staff Susie Wiles and deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich, claiming their exclusion violated First Amendment rights.

U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden declined to temporarily restore AP’s privileges, stating that President Donald Trump has discretion over which media outlets receive special access. According to CNN, Trump played a direct role in the decision, citing what he called “dishonest reporting” by the AP. His frustration grew when the news outlet refused to adopt his administration’s new designation of the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”

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The White House defended its stance, asserting that AP still has general access to the White House press facilities and is not being barred from covering presidential activities. The administration argued that losing privileged access does not amount to censorship, comparing it to a president’s right to choose interview partners.

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McFadden agreed with the administration’s argument, ruling that AP had not suffered “irreparable harm” since it could still report on presidential events using pool reports and televised feeds. The judge scheduled a full hearing on March 20 to consider the AP’s request for a preliminary injunction.

Trump has made clear that AP’s exclusion will continue unless it aligns its stylebook with his administration’s terminology. Speaking at Mar-a-Lago, Trump stated, “We’re going to keep them out until such time as they agree that it’s the Gulf of America.”

Trump officially renamed the Gulf of Mexico through an executive order, directing the Department of the Interior to update federal records. The order was likely influenced by conservative commentator Kevin Posobiec, and February 9 was declared “Gulf of America Day.”