“Strikes at the core of the First Amendment”: AP sues Trump admin over Gulf of Mexico spat

The Associated Press sued members of the Trump administration over their continued lack of access to President Donald Trump.

The wire service lost access to certain Trump events after the administration took offense at the outlet’s guidance on reporting on the Gulf of Mexico. The AP maintains a stylebook that is used by many publications. The news service announced it would continue to refer to the body of water by its original name while admitting that the Trump administration preferred “Gulf of America.”

“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,” they wrote. “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.” 

In the lawsuit, the AP accused the Trump administration of violating the Constitution. 

“The press and all people in the United States have the right to choose their own words and not be retaliated against by the government,” the AP said in the lawsuit. “This targeted attack on the AP’s editorial independence and ability to gather and report the news strikes at the very core of the First Amendment.”

Trump has outright admitted that he’s attempting to strong-arm the news outlet into using the administration’s preferred designation.

“We’re going to keep them out until such time as they agree that it’s the Gulf of America,” he said earlier this week.

Trump went even further in an interview with Fox News’s Brian Kilmeade on Friday, calling the AP “radical left lunatics” and “a third-rate outfit with a first-rate name.”