Photographer who took iconic Trump assassination attempt photo opts to FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! AP White House ban

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AP chief photographer, Evan Vucci, who captured an iconic image of Donald Trump, is one of many AP journalists banned from major events

The US flag flies atop the White House on November 15, 2000 in Washington, DC.
AP White House ban means photographer of iconic Donald Trump photo cannot attend key events (Image credit: Getty Images / Alex Wong)

The photographer who captured the iconic image of Donald Trump immediately after a failed assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania is fighting a White House ban, according to The Independent.

Evan Vucci (@evanvucci) is the Associated Press’ chief photographer in Washington DC but, along with AP colleagues, is currently unable to attend various White House press events, including those on Air Force One and in the Oval Office.

In February, the White House banned AP News journalists from attending key press events in response to the news outlet's continuing reference to the Gulf of Mexico, following an Executive Order to rename it the Gulf of America.

CNN reported that the AP photographer testified on March 28 as part of the news outlet’s legal challenge, quoting Vucci as stating: “It’s hurting us big time (...) We’re basically dead in the water on major news stories.”

One such example was the heated meeting between President Trump and Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on February 28.

According to CNN, AP News had to use imagery captured by a "foreign-based" correspondent, covering Zelenskyy, instead of the more experienced Vucci.

A post shared by Evan Vucci (@evanvucci)

A photo posted by on

Vucci, who photographed Donald Trump during his first term as president, is a photographer and videographer whose coverage of a protest following the murder of George Floyd earned him a Pulitzer prize.

But he is perhaps best known for capturing the iconic image of the failed assassination attempt, just days before the 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump, became the official Republican presidential nominee.

The image of a bloodied Trump, fist aloft, surrounded by Secret Service agents, against a backdrop of the Star-Spangled Banner instantly became one of the most recognizable photographs in the world, and has since won the White House News Photographers Association Political Photo of the Year.

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Mike Harris
Mike Harris
How To Editor

Mike is Digital Camera World's How To Editor. He has over a decade of experience, writing for some of the biggest specialist publications including Digital Camera, Digital Photographer and PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine. Prior to DCW, Mike was Deputy Editor of N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine and Production Editor at Wex Photo Video, where he sharpened his skills in both the stills and videography spheres. While he's an avid motorsport photographer, his skills extend to every genre of photography – making him one of Digital Camera World's top tutors for techniques on cameras, lenses, tripods, filters and other imaging equipment – as well as sharing his expertise on shooting everything from portraits and landscapes to abstracts and architecture to wildlife and, yes, fast things going around race tracks...

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