MSNBC hosts Stephanie Ruhle and Ali Velshi issued corrections on the air on March 18, 2025, acknowledging a mistake in their reporting. They had inaccurately stated that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard referred to President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin as “very good friends.”
Both anchors clarified during their broadcasts that Gabbard was actually commenting on Trump’s relationship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as mentioned in her interview with an Indian television network.
“Last night we reported on excerpts of an interview between the Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, and an Indian TV news network in which she said that Trump was good friends with a world leader. We said that world leader was Vladimir Putin. But the full interview shows that Gabbard was referring to Trump and Indian Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi. Cleared that up,” Ruhle stated on her show.
Ali Velshi, substituting for Lawrence O’Donnell on “The Last Word,” also corrected the report.
The Associated Press faced a similar issue, publishing and later retracting a story with an inaccurate headline. The agency acknowledged the error, removed the initial article, and issued a corrected version with an editor’s note for transparency.
Gabbard also touched on Trump’s upcoming call with Putin, noting the president’s anticipation of a successful discussion but not categorizing their relationship as friendly. She criticized the Biden administration’s approach to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, suggesting that under Trump, there was a stronger push for peace and more progress was made in resolving the conflict.
The day before their corrections, Ruhle criticized Gabbard for appearing “disconnected with the majority of Americans” based on the misreported remarks. During “The Last Word,” guest host Jonathan Capehart referenced the incorrect report in a question to Michael McFaul, an MSNBC international affairs analyst, asking about the potential dangers of Gabbard’s statements on U.S.-Russia relations.
Gabbard’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Alexa Henning, responded to the Associated Press headline on social media platform X.
“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 [sic] media. If this isn’t a clear example of pushing a solely political narrative, then nothing is,” Henning wrote.
This development takes place amid ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and mainstream media. Lawrence O’Donnell, the usual host of “The Last Word,” recently announced a week-long break due to the demands of covering Trump’s presidency.
The incorrect reporting of Gabbard’s comments comes as the Trump administration manages intricate relations with Russia and Ukraine. Trump and Vice President JD Vance recently had a challenging meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the White House Oval Office.
Trump also engaged in a phone call with Putin to discuss a partial ceasefire in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, a major focus of U.S. foreign policy since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
The full context of Gabbard’s interview reveals her discussion on Trump and Modi’s high-level talks concerning mutual interests and diplomatic efforts, emphasizing U.S.-India collaboration rather than addressing Trump’s rapport with Putin.
