Trump Declares ‘Big WIN’ in ‘Gulf of America’ Spat With the Associated Press

President Donald Trump proclaimed a “Big WIN” on Friday after a court ruled that the White House can continue excluding the Associated Press from its press pool—for now.

A federal appeals court granted the Trump administration a stay in a legal battle with the AP, which claims it was unfairly punished for refusing to adopt the White House’s preferred terminology—the “Gulf of America.”

The 2-1 decision halts enforcement of a lower court’s decision that found the administration had retaliated against the AP for its editorial choices when the AP was barred access to Oval Office and Air Force One events in February.

Shortly after the ruling, Trump took to Truth Social to celebrate. “Big WIN over AP today,” he wrote. “They refused to state the facts or the Truth on the GULF OF AMERICA. FAKE NEWS!!!”

The appeals panel’s decision focused narrowly on whether to grant a stay, but the 55-page ruling dove into constitutional questions about whether presidential venues like the Oval Office and Air Force One are “limited public forums” or private spaces exempt from standard First Amendment protections.

AP spokesman Patrick Maks said the outlet is “disappointed in the court’s decision and is reviewing our options,” including possibly seeking an expedited full review of the case.

The second White House has consistently criticized “legacy media” outlets and taken legal action against other outlets, including a lawsuit with CBS and efforts to defund NPR and shut down Voice of America.

The Trump administration has consistently criticized legacy media, taking legal action against other outlets, including a lawsuit with CBS, efforts to defund NPR and shutting down Voice of America.

Despite railing against traditional media outlets, the White House remains highly engaged with its press pool, averaging 1.9 press interactions a day in Trump’s first 100 days back in office, according to the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy. The administration has embraced partisan media, opening the press corps to controversial news influencers.

In the AP’s report on the ruling, which was described as an “incremental loss,” the outlet cited the option to seek an expedited review of the full case on its merits as a possible next step.