Trump’s Gulf-of-America vanity project keeps mutating into a First Amendment problem
Trump used February 9 to crown his renamed Gulf with a proclamation, but the real significance was how far the White House had already gone in policing the language around it. By that point, the administration had begun restricting AP access after the news service declined to adopt the new style, turning a branding stunt into a retaliation fight. That is not just silly; it is the kind of government conduct that invites court scrutiny and makes the White House look thin-skinned and vindictive.
First recorded Feb 9, 2025·Meaningfully updated Feb 9, 2025
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Trump’s Gulf-of-America vanity project keeps mutating into a First Amendment problem
Trump used February 9 to crown his renamed Gulf with a proclamation, but the real significance was how far the White House had already gone in policing the language around it. By that point, the administration had begun restricting AP access after the news service declined to adopt the new style, turning a branding stunt into a retaliation fight. That is not just silly; it is the kind of government conduct that invites court scrutiny and makes the White House look thin-skinned and vindictive.
Trump used February 9 to crown his renamed Gulf with a proclamation, but the real significance was how far the White House had already gone in policing the language around it. By that point, the administration had begun restricting AP access after the news service declined to adopt the new style, turning a branding stunt into a retaliation fight. That is not just silly; it is the kind of government conduct that invi…
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