I don’t have a serious objection to Donald Trump’s attempt to rename the Gulf of Mexico. To me, calling it the Gulf of America seems like a stunt. It doesn’t help America or Americans in the slightest, but doesn’t harm them either. Therefore, as far as I’m concerned Trump can call this body of water the Gulf of America and try to make the name stick, as long as he doesn’t punish those who use the original name.
The problem, though, is that Trump is punishing a news organization, AP, for persisting with the Gulf of Mexico. He’s doing so by banning this organization from White House press conferences and, in addition, now barring it from events at other parts of the White House and trips on Air Force One.