The Associated Press Defeated Donald Trump—And It's Just the Beginning

This week marked a critical moment for press freedom in America: the Associated Press beat Donald Trump. Not with spin or spectacle, but with principle and persistence.

Before we go further—if you believe in the power of independent journalism, now is the time to support it. Subscribe, share, and stay engaged. This work isn’t backed by corporate sponsors or political machines. It’s powered by readers like you who care about truth, transparency, and accountability.

After being barred from the Oval Office and removed from the Air Force One press pool by the Trump White House—simply for refusing to use the administration’s invented term “Gulf of America” instead of the internationally recognized “Gulf of Mexico”—the AP stood its ground. It did not cave to pressure. It did not bend the knee. It refused to compromise its editorial standards or its integrity.

In doing so, the AP sent a clear message: the free press is not a propaganda machine.

I was proud to stand with the Associated Press during this standoff. As an independent journalist, I know what it means to risk access in order to hold onto the truth. The Trump administration’s decision to punish the AP for not parroting its language was more than a petty political move—it was a calculated assault on journalistic independence.

Now that the AP has been reinstated in the Oval Office and on Air Force One—after public outcry and behind-the-scenes pushback—I will no longer boycott the White House. If I’m invited to the briefing room, I will go. Because our job isn’t to sit silently while power reshapes reality. Our job is to question, to investigate, and to tell the truth—no matter who’s in charge.

Let’s be clear: Donald Trump and others like him will continue to come after people like me. Independent journalists. Truth-tellers. Those who refuse to play along. But I won’t back down.

Like the AP, I will fight back.

The First Amendment was built for moments like this—not to protect comfort, but to protect courage. The press is not the enemy of the people. The press is the people. And we will not be silenced.

Together, we’ll keep reporting. We’ll keep digging. We’ll keep asking the questions they don’t want asked.

And together, we will win.