Saturday, October 31, 2026Every claim sourced. Every source linked.
The record of what the American press got wrong, and who it helped
The Big Lies › 2025 › File PF-0244
Retracted

AP: Gabbard Calls Trump and Putin 'Very Good Friends'

An AP story headlined that DNI Tulsi Gabbard said Trump and Putin were 'very good friends' focused on strengthening ties. MSNBC hosts Stephanie Ruhle and Ali Velshi used it to attack Trump as close to Putin.

First reported Mar 17, 2025 · Associated Press, MSNBC
Screenshot of the original report as published
Screenshot of the report as published: usnews.com. Tap to open the source.
Who it helped: Democrats

The misquote reinforced the narrative that Trump is unusually close to Vladimir Putin.

What was reported

An AP story headlined that DNI Tulsi Gabbard said Trump and Putin were 'very good friends' focused on strengthening ties. MSNBC hosts Stephanie Ruhle and Ali Velshi used it to attack Trump as close to Putin.

What actually happened

In the interview in India, Gabbard was describing Trump's friendship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The AP withdrew the story, saying it did not meet its standards, and issued a corrected version with an editor's note. Ruhle and Velshi each aired brief on-air corrections on March 18.

The proof

The AP's withdrawal statement and corrected story, plus the full interview transcript.

The receipt. Copy this and paste it anywhere:

AP: Gabbard Calls Trump and Putin 'Very Good Friends' — Retracted. The AP's withdrawal statement and corrected story, plus the full interview transcript. Full file: https://www.thepropagandafiles.com/case/ap-gabbard-trump-putin-very-good-friends/

Original reporting

Corrections, findings & records

Archived copies

Stories get edited after publication. These open the Internet Archive's earliest saved copy of each original.

Get the daily file.