Donald Trump allowed by appeals court to block some White House access to AP

Donald Trump's White House can, for the time being, block Associated Press journalists from accessing certain areas closest to the American president, an appeals court ruled Friday, June 6. This decision, which overturns a lower court ruling, represents a victory for the Republican, who has been engaged in an open war against mainstream media outlets. The president hailed his Truth Social network as a "great victory."

A pillar of journalism in the United States, AP was banned from the Oval Office and the presidential plane Air Force One in February for its refusal to comply with the new name of the Gulf of Mexico, renamed the "Gulf of America" ​​by an executive order signed by Donald Trump.

The agency, denouncing an attack on press freedom, filed a complaint and won at first instance, with a judge ordering the White House to restore its access. However, after the executive branch appealed, an appeals court suspended the ruling on Friday, ruling in favor of Donald Trump, pending the conclusion of the legal proceedings.

"These restricted presidential spaces are not places protected by the First Amendment" of the American Constitution, which protects freedom of the press and expression, the judgment notes. "The power to determine, including based on point of view, which journalists will be admitted there is at the discretion of the White House," the two judges of the capital's appeals court further wrote in their decision.

With Friday's decision, "we will continue to expand access to new media so that more people can cover the most transparent government in American history, rather than the failing traditional media," White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on X.

The Associated Press, founded in 1846, employs more than 3,000 people worldwide and is highly influential in the United States, where its reports and photographs are reprinted by numerous newspapers across the country.

Since returning to power in January, Donald Trump and his associates have attacked the press, which they describe as "traditional," on several fronts, with legal proceedings and budget cuts affecting public media outlets, which they accuse of being left-leaning.