D.C. Appeals Court Upholds Trump White House Exclusion of AP from Nonpublic Areas

The White House under President Trump has excluded the Associated Press (AP) from certain restricted areas such as the Oval Office, Air Force One, and Mar-a-Lago briefings due to the AP's refusal to adopt the President's preferred term 'Gulf of America' instead of 'Gulf of Mexico.' The AP sued, claiming this exclusion violated their First Amendment rights, and a district court initially issued an injunction in favor of the AP. However, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals stayed that injunction, ruling that these restricted spaces are not public fora for free speech and that the White House has discretion to determine access based on viewpoint. Judges Rao and Katsas, both Trump appointees, emphasized that the White House's control over these private workspaces includes the ability to exclude media outlets like the AP. The court maintained that while the AP can be barred from certain nonpublic areas, it must still have access to public spaces such as the White House Briefing Room and East Room. The ruling highlights ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and the press regarding media access and viewpoint discrimination.