VICTORY: Federal Appeals Court Hands President Trump BIG Win

President Trump just notched another big win in his ongoing battle with the legacy media.

A federal appeals court ruled in favor of the Trump administration today, allowing the White House to continue denying Associated Press (AP) reporters access to places like the Oval Office, Air Force One, and other presidential press events—at least for now.

This decision reverses a previous lower court ruling that had ordered the administration to restore AP’s press privileges while their lawsuit played out. The appeals court, however, said not so fast.

Why was the AP banned in the first place?
It all started when the AP refused to update its Stylebook to refer to the “Gulf of Mexico” as the “Gulf of America”—a change the White House had requested. Their refusal led to a ban from certain high-level press opportunities, and the AP fired back with a lawsuit.

Now, with this latest ruling, the court says President Trump has the right to control who gets access to his official spaces—especially those considered private work environments like the Oval Office and Air Force One.

Judge Neomi Rao, writing for the majority, emphasized that the lower court’s order “impinges on the President’s independence and control over his private workspaces.” She added that the administration is likely to win the case in the end.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt celebrated the decision, calling it a “VICTORY!” and reinforcing the administration’s stance:

“The Associated Press is not guaranteed special access to cover President Trump… We’ll continue expanding access to new media instead of catering to the collapsing legacy press.”

She also didn’t miss the chance to double down:

“And by the way @AP, it’s still the Gulf of America.”

The AP responded that it was disappointed and is considering its next legal steps.

This marks another moment where the Trump administration is pushing back hard against media institutions it sees as biased or hostile—and instead pledging more access for independent and alternative outlets.

Bottom line: Access to the White House is a privilege, not a right. And if the media won’t respect the rules, they might not get the invitation.