Trump's week in review: From gutting the federal workforce to meeting with foreign leaders
1. Trump takes first flight over Gulf of America
As he headed to Super Bowl LIX on Sunday, Trump touted the fact that the flight on Air Force One en route to the football game in New Orleans, Louisiana, constituted the first flight over the Gulf of America. Trump signed an executive order on the first day of his presidency renaming the body of water known as the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
While on board Air Force One, Trump signed a presidential proclamation recognizing Feb. 9 as the first-ever “Gulf of America Day.” He encouraged “public officials and all the people of the United States to observe ‘Gulf of America Day’ with ‘appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.’”
During remarks on the plane, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said his agency had directed the “U.S. Geologic Survey, who is responsible for the database, which is the Geographic Names Informational System,” to begin referring to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
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Burgum added, “Our team is calling all the map providers — so Google Maps, Apple Maps, all the map people. That change will take effect this afternoon to Gulf of America.”
Both map providers mentioned by Burgum now refer to the body of water extending from Texas to Florida as the Gulf of America. However, The Associated Press has announced that it will continue using the term Gulf of Mexico, citing the fact that international bodies and other countries are not obligated to recognize the name change.
This has led to a row between the AP and the White House, which has banned the newswire's reporters from covering the president in-person or traveling on Air Force One.
In a post on X, Trump's deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich said that while AP reporters and photographers "will retain their credentials to the White House complex," the newswire's decision not to recognize the name change is "divisive" and leads to "misinformation."
"While their right to irresponsible and dishonest reporting is protected by the First Amendment, it does not ensure their privilege of unfettered access to limited spaces, like the Oval Office and Air Force One," Budowich said.
The White House Correspondents’ Association has defended the AP, releasing two press releases this week claiming that the administration's decision is "censorship" and goes against the president's own defense of the First Amendment.
“The attempted government censorship of a free press risks a chilling effect on journalists doing their job without fear or favor on behalf of the American people," the WHCA said on Thursday.
“This is a textbook violation of not only the First Amendment, but the president’s own executive order on freedom of speech and ending federal censorship. We again call on the White House to immediately reverse course and restore access to AP journalists.”
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
