Donald Trump's Press Secretary Stands by Banning 'AP' After 'Gulf of America' Diss

Donald Trump's press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, defended the administration's decision to strip the Associated Press of their Oval Office credentials after the news organization continued to use the "Gulf of Mexico."
Upon returning to the White House, Trump announced that the body of water south of Lousianna would be renamed the "Gulf of America."

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In a press conference, Leavitt stood by her boss' choice.
"We reserve the right to decide who gets to go into the Oval Office," Leavitt said in a briefing with reporters on Wednesday, February 12.
She later called it a "privilege to cover the White House."

Leavitt stressed that reporters must adjust their style guides to accommodate the change.
"If we feel there are lies being pushed by outlets in this room, we are going to hold those lies accountable," the press secretary stated.
"And 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," she added.

The White House Correspondents' Association branded Leavitt's comments as unfair.
"The White House cannot dictate how news organizations report the news, nor should it penalize working journalists because it is unhappy with their editors' decisions," the WHCA said in a statement. "The move by the administration to bar a reporter from the Associated Press from an official event open to news coverage today is unacceptable." 

On the White House's website, Trump explained how the title celebrates the significance of the region.
"I took this action in part because, as stated in that Order, '[t]he area formerly known as the Gulf of Mexico has long been an integral asset to our once burgeoning Nation and has remained an indelible part of America,'" Trump said. 

Trump's diplomatic relationship with Mexico has been fraught, as the president has been a vocal critic of illegal immigration and border control.
"The Gulf will continue to play a pivotal role in shaping America's future and the global economy, and in recognition of this flourishing economic resource and its critical importance to our Nation's economy and its people, I am directing that it officially be renamed the Gulf of America," he continued.

Digital Object Identifier also confirmed Trump's executive order.
"The U.S. Board on Geographic Names, under the purview of the Department of the Interior, is working expeditiously to update the official federal nomenclature in the Geographic Names Information System to reflect these changes, effective immediately for federal use," the DOI announced in late January.