'India can’t handle truth,spins': Peter Navarro brands it a profiteer in Russia’s war at US expense

Peter Navarro has trained his guns on India—again. In a fresh tirade, the Trump trade adviser accused New Delhi of wrecking American jobs with sky-high tariffs, profiteering off Russian oil, and peddling spin because, as he put it, “India can’t handle the truth.”

In a post on X, Navarro attacked both India and The Washington Post, reacting to a report on divisions within Trump’s team over handling ties with New Delhi. “India buys Russian oil purely to profit… Revenues feed Russia war machine. Ukrainians/Russians die. U.S. taxpayers shell out more,” he wrote. He concluded: “India can’t handle truth/spins @washpo Leftist American fake news.”

Navarro, one of the most hawkish voices in Trump’s inner circle, has made a habit of targeting India. From calling the country a “laundromat for the Kremlin” to casting casteist aspersions—like accusing “Brahmins” of profiteering from war—he’s repeatedly dialed up the rhetoric.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs fired back. “We have seen the inaccurate and misleading statements made by Navarro, and obviously, we reject them,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Friday.

Jaiswal underlined the importance of the U.S.-India relationship, calling it a “comprehensive global strategic partnership” rooted in democratic values and shared interests. “We remain focused on the substantive agenda that our two countries have committed to,” he added.

Kevin Hassett, White House economic advisor under Trump, echoed the broader discontent, telling ANI that the former president and his trade team were “disappointed” with India’s continued crude imports from Russia. “Hopefully, it’s a democratic issue, and we’ll have positive developments,” he said.