MSM Makes Major Blunder – What Gabbard Really Said

Magnifying glass highlights fake news text on screen

Associated Press retracts false report claiming Tulsi Gabbard said Trump and Putin were “very good friends” as the media giant continues its decline into anti-Trump bias and factual negligence.

At a Glance

  • AP retracted an article falsely claiming Tulsi Gabbard stated that Trump and Putin were “very good friends”
  • Gabbard was actually referring to Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, not Putin
  • AP corrected the story with an editor’s note after Gabbard’s spokesperson blasted them as “total trash”
  • The incident follows the White House barring AP from its press pool over a separate naming dispute
  • The retraction showcases growing tensions between the Trump administration and legacy media outlets

AP’s Latest Fumble Exposes Media Bias Against Trump

The Associated Press has been forced to withdraw a story that falsely claimed U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin “are very good friends.” The high-profile retraction came after the news agency discovered that Gabbard was actually referring to Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in her original comments, not Putin. This embarrassing error represents yet another instance of the establishment media rushing to push narratives that falsely link the Trump administration to Russia, despite years of investigations finding no collusion.

AP admitted the error in a statement, saying: “AP has removed its story about U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard saying President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin ‘are very good friends’ because it did not meet our standards. We notified customers and published a corrected story with an editor’s note to be transparent about the error.” While the AP attempted to clean up its mess, the damage was already done, with the original false narrative spreading widely across news platforms before the correction.

Gabbard’s Team Blasts “Maliciously Incompetent” Reporting

Alexa Henning, a spokesperson for Gabbard, didn’t hold back in her criticism of the Associated Press for its egregious error. Taking to social media, Henning lambasted the news agency’s reporting standards and highlighted what many conservatives have pointed to as evidence of institutional media bias against Trump and his administration. The spokesperson’s blistering critique cut straight to the heart of what many Americans already believe about today’s corporate media landscape.

“The AP is total trash. DNI @TulsiGabbard was referring to PM Modi & President Trump and this is the headline they publish. This is why no one trusts the maliciously incompetent and purposefully bias media. If this isn’t a clear example of pushing a solely political narrative, then nothing is,” said Alexa Henning.

Henning later added that she had attempted to contact the AP and the reporter responsible for the article but received no response. “I emailed @AP and @DavidKlepper and have so far heard nothing regarding their literal fake news article about the DNI. Won’t hold my breath,” Henning stated. The reporter in question, David Klepper, has still not publicly addressed the error, according to multiple sources.

Growing Tensions Between Trump Administration and Media

This incident occurs against the backdrop of escalating tensions between the Trump administration and the Associated Press. The White House recently barred AP from its press pool due to a dispute over the proper naming of the Gulf of Mexico, with the administration insisting on the term “Gulf of America.” In response, the AP filed a lawsuit against the White House, claiming its First Amendment rights had been violated – a case that remains ongoing.

“The Associated Press has withdrawn its story about U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard saying President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin ‘are very good friends.’ Gabbard was talking about Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The AP will publish a corrected version of the story,” stated the Associated Press in its official retraction notice.

The retraction follows a pattern of strained interactions between media outlets and the administration. A particularly notable clash occurred when AP reporter Josh Boak confronted White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt over tariffs, incorrectly claiming, “I’m sorry, have you paid a tariff? Because I have. They don’t get charged on foreign companies. They get charged on the importers.” The exchange highlighted the growing divide between the administration’s economic policies and the media’s understanding of them.

Trump Continues to Call Out Media Inaccuracies

President Trump himself has been vocal about what he perceives as deliberate misrepresentations by the media. In a recent statement, Trump disputed a Sky News report claiming Russian President Vladimir Putin had kept a U.S. envoy waiting for an extended period. The President directly addressed the false reporting, maintaining his commitment to challenging inaccurate news stories about his administration.

“The Fake News, as usual, is at it again! Why can’t they be honest, just for once? Last night I read that President Vladimir Putin of Russia kept my Highly Respected Ambassador and Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, waiting for over nine hours when, in fact, there was no wait whatsoever,” said Donald Trump in response to the false Sky News report.

The original AP story was particularly misleading because it used Gabbard’s misquoted statements to suggest a significant shift in U.S.-Russia relations under the Trump administration. The only critic quoted in that story was Russian chess player Garry Kasparov, further emphasizing the article’s slanted approach. This type of reporting does nothing to restore the American public’s faith in mainstream media institutions that have seen their credibility plummet in recent years.

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