'India didn't violate sanctions': X community fact-checks Navarro, he explodes at Elon Musk

Peter Navarro, White House trade advisor under Donald Trump, lashed out at Elon Musk after users on X added community notes to one of his posts accusing India of profiteering from the Russian oil trade. 

Navarro had claimed on Saturday that India was purchasing Russian oil "purely to profit" and that the resulting revenues were feeding "Russia war machine". 

His post also accused India's tariff regime of costing American jobs. "FACTS: India highest tariffs costs U.S. jobs. India buys Russian oil purely to profit/Revenues feed Russia war machine. Ukrainians/Russians die. U.S. taxpayers shell out more. India can't handle truth/spins Leftist American fake news," he wrote, referencing a Washington Post article that said such rhetoric from U.S. officials was straining diplomatic relations with New Delhi.

This time, however, X users responded with community notes fact-checking Navarro's claims. One note stated: "India's Russian oil purchases are for energy security, not just profit, & don't violate sanctions. While India has some tariffs, the U.S. has a trade surplus with it in services. U.S. also continues to import certain commodities from Russia, which is hypocritical."

Another note emphasised the double standards in U.S. policy, reading: "India's legal, sovereign purchases of Russian oil for energy security do not violate international law. The US, while pressuring India, continues to import billions in Russian goods, like uranium, exposing a clear double standard."

The community pushback prompted Navarro to attack Musk directly. "Wow. @elonmusk is letting propaganda into people's posts. That crap note below is just that. Crap. India buys Russia oil solely to profiteer. It didn't buy any before Russia invaded Ukraine. Indian govt spin machine moving high tilt. Stop killing Ukranians. Stop taking American jobs," he wrote in response.

Navarro has repeatedly used provocative language when referring to India in the past, calling it a "laundromat for the Kremlin," accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of waging "Modi’s war in Ukraine," and labelling India's trade practices as damaging to American industry. He also referred to India as the "Maharaja of tariffs."

In one of his most recent comments, Navarro accused "Brahmins" of "profiteering at the expense of Indian people," prompting an official rejection from the Indian government. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Friday, "We have seen some inaccurate statements made by him. We reject them."

Tensions between Donald Trump and Elon Musk have increased over the past months. What began as a public camaraderie has gradually shifted toward political distance and personal jabs. Musk has notably cooled on Trump, while Trump allies like Navarro have openly criticized Musk's handling of X.

On trade policy, Trump has recently imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian imports, raising the total tariff level to 50%. The move, effective from August 27, was directly linked to India’s continued oil purchases from Russia.