Trump vs. The AP? You Heard it Here First

April 14th, 2025

Sadie Zwonitzer

Thousands of extempers from every corner of the United States would enshrine the Associated Press (AP News) as one of the most reputable and reliable sources available. However, the seemingly universal news source may not be so universal any more. President Donald Trump has denounced the Associated Press multiple times, calling them fake news, following their decision to call the body of water south of Florida "The Gulf of Mexico."

This campaign against the AP is just one of many of Trump’s attacks on the media and journalism. Since his 2016 presidency, Donald Trump has made frequent jabs at journalists, calling even the most reputable sources “a threat to democracy” and “fake," "crooked bastards." Trump’s attacks on the media however, only increased nearing his second term, with him promising to arrest journalists and fight against "fake news." Controversy came earlier this year when Donald Trump hosted a bilateral summit with Ukrainian President Vlodimir Zelenskyy, and barred news agencies like the AP and Reuters, but still allowed Russian news source and state media agency TASS to cover the encounter.

Many of Trump’s questionable choices have been heavily contested, and now some even legally shot down. Just last week, a federal judge determined that Trump must reinstate the AP’s ability to cover activities within the White House and to be present there. The judge ruled that “[T]he Court simply holds that under the First Amendment, if the Government opens its doors to some journalists — be it to the Oval Office, the East Room, or elsewhere.” This judge, despite frequent rhetoric by Trump and his cabinet, is actually a Donald Trump appointee. The judge remains firm that he isn’t requesting Trump to allow every journalist into the white house, or even requesting that he allow interviews from all agencies, purely that he allows journalism from every publication. This ongoing battle will be pivotal in the fight for free press and equal coverage in trying times.

Extemp Analysis by Sadie Zwonitzer

How will the ruling to reinstate AP affect the White House’s relationship with the media in the future?

Because this question asks “how will” it assumes that the ruling will affect the relationship between the media and the White House. This essentially lays out two options: bad or good. You could argue that because Trump is forced to allow the AP coverage, he will be upset and continue his war on the media, or that the admin will actually just cede that they were wrong and become more accepting. Either way, I’d recommend expectation verification. That way you paint a clear picture.

Ex:

Increases Expert Coverage on Tariffs

(Expectation) Trump Admin is upset when people cover the tariffs
(Verification) AP covers the tariffs an unprecedented amount
(Impact) The AP and media as a whole will continue to be shunned

If you get a question like this, using rhetoric around how important the media is can really help your cause because it's so meta.

Good luck!