OAN Staff Abril Elfi
10:31 AM – Tuesday, February 25, 2025
A federal judge has declined a request by the Associated Press (AP) to access White House events after President Donald Trump banned the outlet for continuing to use “Gulf of Mexico” in its reports.
On Monday, United States District Judge Trevor McFadden, who was appointed by Trump in 2017, denied AP’s request to restore its White House access.
McFadden wrote that AP “can get access to the same information” from pool coverage rather than attending each White House event directly.
According to a report by CNN, McFadden explained that he was not convinced AP faced “irreparable harm” from the current restrictions.
He continued stating that AP is only banned from “more private areas” of the administration, which include the Oval Office and Air Force One.
Following McFadden’s ruling, the White House released a statement celebrating the decision.
“As we have said from the beginning, asking the President of the United States questions in the Oval Office and aboard Air Force One is a privilege granted to journalists, not a legal right,” the White House said. “We stand by our decision to hold the Fake News accountable for their lies, and President Trump will continue to grant an unprecedented level of access to the press. This is the most transparent Administration in history.”
On March 20th, McFadden scheduled a hearing for the case. It is expected to decide whether the restriction will remain in place long term.
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