‘People Decide Narrative’: Elon Musk Backs X Fact-Check on Trump Aide Navarro’s Anti-India Oil Tirade
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has defended his social media platform X’s fact-checking mechanism after it flagged claims by US President Donald Trump’s trade advisor Peter Navarro accusing India of profiteering from Russian oil purchases amid the Ukraine conflict. Musk emphasized that X allows users to shape narratives through open discourse and community-driven corrections, while taking a swipe at traditional media for bias and unreliability.
The controversy erupted when Navarro posted on X, alleging that India’s high tariffs cost American jobs and that its buying of Russian oil was “purely to profit” while fueling Russia’s war machine. “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,” Navarro wrote, responding to a Washington Post article on strained US-India ties.
X’s Community Notes quickly appended corrections, stating that India’s oil imports from Russia are driven by energy security needs and do not breach international sanctions. The notes highlighted US hypocrisy, noting America’s continued imports of Russian commodities like uranium despite pressuring India, and pointed out the US trade surplus with India in services. Another note described Navarro’s claims as “hypocritical,” affirming that India’s purchases are legal and sovereign.
Navarro hit back fiercely, labeling the notes “crap” and accusing Musk of permitting “propaganda” on the platform. “Wow. @elonmusk 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 posted. He doubled down by suggesting a poll on X about whether the platform should allow posts from “foreign interests” interfering in US politics, sharing screenshots and claiming Indian special interests were distorting domestic debates.
Without directly naming Navarro, Musk responded by praising X’s system. “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,” he wrote. In another post, Musk criticized legacy media, saying, “As recent events have shown all too clearly, you can’t trust the legacy (fka mainstream) news at all. They lie relentlessly or simply ignore major stories that don’t fit their collectively decided narrative”.
The exchange highlights escalating tensions in US-India relations, particularly after Trump imposed over 50% tariffs on Indian exports in late August, partly over New Delhi’s Russian oil trade. Navarro has repeatedly targeted India, calling it a “laundromat for the Kremlin” and dubbing the Ukraine war “Modi’s war,” claims India’s external affairs ministry has dismissed as inaccurate. Analysts see this as part of broader US efforts to curb Russian revenue streams, though India’s stance prioritizes affordable energy supplies amid global disruptions.
