Without naming Peter Navarro, Elon Musk underscored that Community Notes “corrects everyone without exception” and ensures that “people decide the narrative”.
Elon Musk on Sunday defended his platform’s fact-checking system after a fresh outburst from Donald Trump’s aide Peter Navarro, who had railed against X for flagging his anti-India post on Russian oil. Without naming Navarro, Musk underscored that Community Notes “corrects everyone without exception” and ensures that “people decide the narrative”.
“On this platform, the people decide the narrative. You hear all sides of an argument. Community Notes corrects everyone, no exceptions. Notes, data, and code is public source. Grok provides further fact-checking,” Musk wrote.
The clash erupted when Navarro accused India of “profiteering” from Russian oil imports and claimed its tariffs were costing American jobs. “FACTS: India highest tariffs costs US jobs. India buys Russian oil purely to profit/Revenues feed Russia war machine. Ukrainians/Russians die. US taxpayers shell out more. India can’t handle truth/spins,” he posted.
Community Notes swiftly intervened, stating India’s oil purchases were for “energy security” and did not breach sanctions. It highlighted that while India maintains tariffs, the US runs a trade surplus in services, and that Washington itself continues to import commodities like uranium from Russia – exposing what it called a “clear double standard.”
Another note added: “Navarro’s claims are hypocritical. India’s legal, sovereign purchases of Russian oil for energy security do not violate international law.”
Enraged, Navarro doubled down. “Wow. Elon Musk is letting propaganda into people’s posts. That crap note below is just that. Crap. India buys Russian oil solely to profiteer. It didn’t buy any before Russia invaded Ukraine. Indian govt spin machine moving high tilt. Stop killing Ukrainians. Stop taking American jobs,” he wrote, dismissing the corrections as “crap notes.”
X responded again with further notes pointing out that Navarro’s assertions were misleading, underscoring that India’s sovereign energy trade was within international law and that the US itself continued buying billions worth of Russian goods.
The row fits into Navarro’s sustained campaign against India since Trump imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian imports from August 27, raising total duties to 50 per cent – the steepest levies outside Brazil.
Navarro branded India the “Maharaja of tariffs,” a “laundromat for the Kremlin”, and has described the Ukraine conflict as “Modi’s war”. He also claimed Indian elites were profiteering “at the expense of the Indian people”, remarks the Ministry of External Affairs dismissed as “inaccurate”.
The tensions also intersected with global optics when Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared alongside Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, signalling unity with leaders at odds with Washington.
