Trump aide lashes out at India, accuses “propagandists” of rigging polls on X after facing backlash for false claims on Russian oil purchases.
Washington DC, September 9 – Peter Navarro, Senior Counsellor for Trade and Manufacturing to former US President Donald Trump, has once again launched a scathing attack on India after being repeatedly fact-checked on X (formerly Twitter).
This time, Navarro accused Indians of manipulating the results of a poll he had posted, doubling down on his earlier claims about India’s purchase of Russian oil. Instead of acknowledging his inaccuracies, he suggested that Indian users were distorting online discussions in America.
“India has the largest population in the world & all it can do is manage a few hundred thousand X propagandists to jerk around a poll? Too funny. America: look at how foreign interests use our social media to advance their agenda,” Navarro wrote in a post.
His remarks followed a poll he created on X to question whether “lies about India buying Russian oil” should be presented as diverse viewpoints on the platform. Out of more than 56,000 votes, 75% responded “Yes,” 17% “No,” and 7% with “Hello no. It’s obscene.”
Navarro’s outburst came after his earlier posts on India’s energy trade were flagged by X’s community notes for spreading misinformation. Angered, he called the corrections “crap” and accused Elon Musk of allowing “propaganda.”
This is not the first time Navarro has singled out India. He has repeatedly made controversial remarks, describing India as a “laundromat for the Kremlin” and even making caste-based jibes such as “Brahmins are profiteering” from the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Critics argue that Navarro’s rhetoric is less about facts and more about stoking domestic political sentiments, particularly targeting India’s rising global influence. His latest tirade reflects a broader clash between misinformation, digital accountability, and international relations playing out in real-time on social media.