The Associated Press announced on Thursday that one of its journalists was once again denied access to a White House briefing, condemning what it called a “deeply troubling escalation” as the Trump administration continues to pressure the news agency over its refusal to adopt the term “Gulf of America”.

“This is the third consecutive day that AP journalists have been blocked from covering the president,” said Julie Pace, the agency’s executive editor.

At the heart of this standoff between the AP—a pillar of journalism in the United States and worldwide—and the Trump administration, is the news agency’s refusal to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America”, a new name officially declared by the president last month.

The denial of access to an AP journalist at the press conference between Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi represents “a deeply troubling escalation of the administration’s ongoing attempts to punish the Associated Press for its editorial decisions,” Pace stated.

“This is a blatant violation of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and the press,” she continued. “We strongly urge the Trump administration to end this practice immediately.“

On Tuesday and Wednesday, AP journalists had already been barred from the Oval Office, with the White House press secretary justifying the decision as a response to the “lies” of the media.

“The body of water off the coast of Louisiana is officially named the Gulf of America. I don’t understand why the press refuses to call it that,” White House spokesperson Caroline Levitt said on Wednesday.

Inside the Oval Office, where Trump hosts the press daily, a large map of the southeastern U.S. is displayed, showing the body of water labeled as the ‘Gulf of America’.

In an editorial statement, the AP reiterated that it would continue referring to the body of water as the Gulf of Mexico, which remains its “original and widely recognized name”, while also acknowledging the new designation introduced by Trump.