Summary
- A new report links the Associated Press access ban to a dispute over rights to Evan Vucci’s photograph.
- The image was made after the July 2024 assassination attempt against Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.
- The White House had publicly attributed the restrictions to the AP’s use of the name Gulf of Mexico.
- The photo-rights connection remains a reported claim rather than an officially confirmed White House rationale.
A new report links the Associated Press’ exclusion from certain White House events to a second dispute: rights to Evan Vucci’s widely circulated photograph of Donald Trump after the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The photograph, made by AP chief Washington photographer Evan Vucci on July 13, 2024, shows Trump bloodied with his fist raised while surrounded by Secret Service agents. It circulated globally and became one of the most recognisable images of the campaign.
What the new report says
According to a New York Times report cited by subsequent coverage, White House aides also linked the AP access restrictions to the agency’s refusal to grant the Trump team rights to use Vucci’s photograph.
The account is reportedly based on two people briefed on a private 2025 lunch involving Trump and television network executives. That explanation had not been publicly presented by the White House as the official reason for the restrictions. The AP said it remains focused on press freedom and on resisting government retaliation or control.
The publicly stated reason for the restrictions
In February 2025, the White House excluded Associated Press reporters and photographers from certain events and from Air Force One, citing the agency’s position on the name of the Gulf of Mexico. The AP continued to use “Gulf of Mexico” while also acknowledging that Trump had ordered the federal government to use “Gulf of America”.
The dispute became a court case over press access to the president. The newer report does not replace the public explanation given at the time; it adds the claim that the photo-rights dispute also formed part of the conflict.
Evan Vucci’s photograph
Vucci has described moving toward the stage as soon as he recognised the sound of gunfire, switching to a wide-angle lens and positioning himself where he expected Trump to be moved. The frame showing the raised fist, Secret Service agents and the American flag resulted from that rapid photojournalistic response.
The Associated Press has described the image as a photograph that immediately drew global attention. Rights to the image remain subject to the agency’s licensing terms; widespread reproduction or political use does not by itself transfer ownership of those rights.
What we think
For photographers, the case is significant because it brings photojournalism, image licensing and press access to political power into the same dispute. The key distinction is between the publicly confirmed explanation for the AP restrictions and the later reporting about the role allegedly played by the dispute over the photograph.
Frequently asked questions
Who took the photograph?
Evan Vucci of the Associated Press took it at Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024.
What does the new report claim?
It says White House aides also linked the AP restrictions to the agency’s refusal to grant the Trump team rights to use the photograph.
Was that the official reason for the ban?
Not as publicly stated. In 2025, the White House attributed the restrictions to the AP’s naming policy for the “Gulf of America”.
Why does this matter to photographers?
Because it concerns licensing and control of a news photograph, political use of imagery and photographers’ access to events of public interest.
