Donald Trump's close ally and White House Trade Advisor, Peter Navarro, launched a harsh critique against India and Elon Musk. It all began when social media platform X added a fact-check to his post. Navarro claimed in his post that India is buying oil from Russia solely for profit, and this revenue supports Russia's "war machine."
In his post, Trump's trade advisor Navarro stated, "Fact: The high tariff rates from India are costing American jobs. India purchases Russian oil merely for profit/revenue while feeding the Russian war machine. Ukrainians/Russians are dying. American taxpayers are paying more. India cannot stand the truth/lie."
Source: aajtak
'X' Fact-Check Challenges America
Hours later, Elon Musk's platform X added a community note to his post, stating that India's purchase of Russian oil is for "energy security," not just profit. The note also clarified that it does not violate any international sanctions. It highlighted that the US itself imports uranium and other minerals from Russia, making its policy appear "hypocritical."
Navarro's Anger Targets Musk
Following the fact-check by X, Navarro, closely tied to Trump, lashed out at Elon Musk, writing, "Wow! Elon Musk is spreading propaganda in people's posts. The cheap note below is evidence of that. Deplorable. India buys oil from Russia solely for profit. It bought no oil from Russia before the invasion of Ukraine. The Indian government's spin machine is operating at full throttle. Stop killing Ukrainians. Stop stealing American jobs."
Source: aajtak
However, this post was also fact-checked by X, which stated that India's energy trade is its "sovereign decision" and does not violate international law. The platform once again highlighted America's "double standards."
Continuous Attacks on India by Navarro
Peter Navarro's remarks came as President Trump's administration announced an additional 25% duty on Indian imports starting August 27, bringing the total tariff to 50%. This decision was linked to India's oil purchases from Russia. Navarro had earlier criticized India by calling it the "Maharaja of Tariffs" and the "Laundromat for the Kremlin." He even referred to the Ukraine war as "Modi's war."
In one contentious statement, Navarro claimed, "The Brahmin Indians are profiting at the expense of their people." The Indian government dismissed these comments, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stating on Friday, "We have seen some erroneous statements, and we reject them."
