Elon Musk Defends X Fact-Checks After Navarro Targets India on Oil and Trade

Tariff Battle Deepens: Navarro Calls India a ‘Laundromat for the Kremlin’ as Musk Defends X Community Notes

Elon Musk has once again found himself in the middle of a political storm. He has stepped in after a heated online clash between his platform X and Donald Trump’s former aide, Peter Navarro. The dispute began when Navarro posted another attack on India, accusing New Delhi of making profits from Russian oil and blaming its trade tariffs for US job losses.

Community Notes vs Navarro’s Claims

X’s community notes quickly flagged Navarro’s post. The notes explained that India’s oil imports are for energy security, not profiteering, and do not break any international rules. They also pointed out that the United States itself still buys key goods from Russia, including uranium, showing a clear double standard.

Musk did not mention Navarro by name but defended the platform’s work. In a post, he wrote that “people decide the narrative” on X. He added that community notes “corrects everyone without exception” and that all data and code are open for public view. He also highlighted Grok, the AI tool used for further fact-check support.

Navarro reacted angrily. He called the corrections a “crap note” and accused Musk of allowing propaganda on X. He repeated that India only buys Russian oil for profit and claimed that its trade policies hurt American workers.

Tariff Tensions Add Fuel to the Fire

This clash exposes deeper tensions over India-US tariffs. The US raised duties on Indian exports by 25 % on August 27, now totaling 50 %, the highest penalty outside Brazil. Navarro used the conflict to label India a “laundromat for the Kremlin” and even called the Russia-Ukraine war “Modi’s war.” The remarks sparked significant diplomatic strain.

This was not Navarro’s first attack on India. He has regularly criticized New Delhi over its ties with Russia. After Washington raised duties on Indian exports by 25 % in August, Navarro went further, criticizing India for its ties with Russia. Despite the sharp words, leaders of both countries have tried to soften the situation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India values its relationship with the US. Donald Trump also called India a “special partner” after earlier claiming America had “lost India to China.”

The latest clash highlights how Musk wants X to work. His message made it clear that even powerful political figures cannot escape fact-checks by the platform’s users. For him, the role of X is to make sure every side of a story is visible and that misleading claims face immediate corrections.

By defending community notes, Musk is trying to show X as a place for open debate, where facts can challenge strong opinions and where the narrative is decided by the people, not just by leaders.