The White House took a public jab at the Associated Press (AP) by reportedly hanging a copy of a recent court ruling- allowing it to bar the news agency from certain press access—inside the White House press gallery.According to freelance journalist Andrew Leyden, the framed document bears President Donald Trump’s signature and was added to the gallery walls following a temporary legal victory in the ongoing dispute over media access.This comes as the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit upheld a prior ruling that permits the White House to exclude AP from the rotating press pool covering spaces such as the Oval Office and Air Force One. While the broader legal challenge continues, the procedural win bolsters the administration’s stance on controlling media access.The AP filed suit earlier this year after its journalists and photographers were blocked from covering certain presidential events. According to court documents, the White House claimed the AP was excluded because it refused to adopt Trump’s executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America”- a directive the AP declined to reflect in its official style guide.In April, a district court ordered the administration to reinstate AP’s access. That ruling was partially overturned in June by a three-judge panel from the DC Circuit, allowing limited access only to broader events like those held in the East Room. This week, the full appeals court declined to revisit the case, with none of the 11 active judges dissenting—a signal that AP may face difficulties if it takes the matter to the US Supreme Court.“We are disappointed by today’s procedural decision but remain focused on the strong district court opinion in support of free speech as we have our case heard,” AP spokesperson Lauren Easton had said soon after the ruling. “The press and the public have a fundamental right to speak freely without government retaliation.”The White House, however, celebrated the decision. “AP’s outrageous, self-absorbed actions are an embarrassment to journalism,” said spokesperson Harrison Fields. “The Trump administration is the most accessible and transparent in history.”The symbolic placement of the court decision- framed and signed by Trump- has drawn online criticism, with observers calling it a taunt.” Blatant first amendment violation,” said one X user while another called it “wrong”, saying, “Wrong. The AP can say anything they want. That’s freedom of the press.”
