Court Rules in Favour of White House in Lawsuit Against AP

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U.S. President Donald Trump.

On Friday evening, 6 June 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a legal triumph over the Associated Press (AP), asserting that the news agency had "refused to state the facts or the truth" regarding the so-called “Gulf of America.”

President Trump renamed the body of water on his first day in office and subsequently barred the AP from the Oval Office after the organisation declined to revise its editorial guidelines to reflect the new designation of the international gulf.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, President Trump wrote: “Big WIN over AP today. They refused to state the facts or the Truth on the GULF OF AMERICA. FAKE NEWS!!!”

DC Circuit Judge Neomi Rao wrote the 2-1 ruling in favor of the White House.

“These restricted presidential spaces are not First Amendment fora opened for private speech and discussion,” the opinion stated. “No one suggests the Oval Office is a traditional public forum such as a park or sidewalk held in trust for expressive activity.”

A representative for the AP told CNN, “We are disappointed in the court’s decision and are reviewing our options.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also declared victory over the AP in a post on her X page.



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