REPORT: Associated Press deletes story with false claim about Tulsi Gabbard

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From Fox News: The Associated Press has retracted a story it published Monday which wrongly claimed that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said that President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin were “good friends.”

“The Associated Press has withdrawn its story about U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard saying President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin ‘are very good friends.’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,” a statement from AP said.

The link to the original story displays a “page unavailable” message. The outlet published an updated piece reflecting Gabbard saying that Modi and Trump were good friends, including an editor’s note at the end acknowledging the AP deleted the original article that contained “erroneous reporting.”

“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,” the Associated Press told Fox News Digital in a statement.

This come while the Associated Press is already in hot water with the Trump administration, as the outlet refuses to acknowledge the renamed “Gulf of America,” still referring to it as the “Gulf of Mexico.”

Gabbard’s deputy chief of staff Alexa Henning blasted the Associated Press for their false reporting.

In a statement on X, Henning wrote, “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.”

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) also reacted, writing on X, “READ THIS: @AP ran an insane fake story about @DNIGabbard— they were forced to retract it. Media has attacked my friend, @TulsiGabbard since day 1. They failed. Tulsi is Senate-confirmed and hard at work. I guarantee this will only make her stronger and more mission-focused.”

India Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted photos of Gabbard’s visit and wrote, “Glad to welcome @TulsiGabbard to India. Exchanged views on further advancing the India-U.S. Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership. Both countries are committed to combating terrorism and enhancing maritime and cyber security cooperation.”

The Associated Press has now published a new report on Gabbard’s trip to India, but STILL tried to weave Russian President Vladimir Putin into the story in multiple paragraphs, despite that Gabbard’s trip to India had nothing to do with Putin. The report begins:

U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said President Donald Trump is committed to ensuring peace and security through “realism and pragmatism,” in remarks Tuesday before the U.S. leader speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Gabbard did not refer to a particular country or conflict, but said securing peace required “commitment to fostering cultural and economic ties that reduce the likelihood of an escalation to conflict” and “courage to engage directly with both friends and adversaries alike.”

Gabbard spoke at the Raisina Dialogue conference in New Delhi on a visit to India that holds special significance: She was the first Hindu elected to Congress when she served as a representative from Hawaii. In her new role she oversees and coordinates the work of more than a dozen intelligence agencies.

At the the bottom of the report, the AP editors wrote, “Eds: This story was updated on Mar. 17, 2025, to delete erroneous reporting that U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin “are very good friends.” Gabbard was talking about Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

Mike Benz, Executive Director of Foundation For Freedom Online, slammed the AP, writing, “When they tell you about that vaunted editorial integrity process that distinguishes dinosaur media from social media, remember that this false story made it all the way through all the layers of review at the Associated Press.”

Elon Musk responded, “AP stands for Associated Propaganda.”

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