Washington
Elon Musk has pushed back against accusations from White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, insisting that users—not executives—shape the narrative on social platform X. The clash erupted after Navarro posted that “India buys Russian oil purely to profit” and urged an end to “killing Ukrainians” while blaming Indian policies for “taking American jobs.”
Community Notes, X’s crowd-sourced fact-checking tool, labeled Navarro’s remarks misleading, noting that India’s energy imports comply with international law. Navarro then accused Musk of enabling “crap notes” and alleged that Indian “special interests” influence U.S. policy debates.
Responding, Musk wrote, “On this platform, the people decide the narrative. You hear all sides of an argument. Community Notes corrects everyone, no exceptions. Notes data & code are public. Grok provides additional fact-checking.”
India’s Ministry of External Affairs dismissed Navarro’s claims as “inaccurate and misleading,” underscoring the country’s sovereign right to secure energy supplies.
The dispute comes amid heightened scrutiny of India’s ties with Russia following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s interactions with Moscow and Beijing at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit. Musk’s comments reflect his continued defense of X as an open forum where users collectively determine context, even on contentious geopolitical issues.
