The rivalry between Elon Musk and former White House trade adviser Peter Navarro has flared up again, with the billionaire accusing Navarro of spreading misinformation and Navarro firing back at Musk’s social media platform X, dragging their long-standing feud into a fresh clash over India’s Russian oil purchases.
The spat erupted after Navarro claimed that India had in no way imported Russian crude earlier than the Ukraine battle and became now “purely” profiteering. X users quickly added a Community Note correcting the statement, pointing out his error. But instead of letting it pass, Navarro lashed out, turning what might have been a routine fact-check into yet another flashpoint in his ongoing feud with Musk.
Their clashes date back to the Trump years, when Navarro criticized Musk’s business ties with China and Musk dismissed him as an out-of-touch bureaucrat.
Navarro wrote on X that India “didn’t buy any [Russian oil] before Russia invaded Ukraine” and was now doing so “solely to profiteer,” while also blaming India’s tariffs for costing American jobs on September 6.
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Within hours, X’s Community Note, the crowdsourced fact-checking feature Musk has touted as a guardrail against misinformation, appeared beneath the post. It corrected Navarro’s claim, noting that India’s purchases are tied to energy security rather than profiteering, and pointed out that the United States itself still imports critical Russian goods such as uranium and fertilizers.
“India’s legal, sovereign purchases of Russian oil for energy security do not violate international law” and “The US, while pressuring India, continues to import billions in Russian goods, like uranium, exposing a clear double standard,” the Community Note read.
Navarro hit back by accusing Musk of enabling foreign influence on the platform. “Wow. @elonmusk is letting propaganda into people’s posts. That crap note below is just that. Crap,” he wrote, before going on to claim that “Indian special interests” were attempting to sway U.S. debates on trade and foreign policy.
Musk stepped in to defend X and its fact-checking tool. The Tesla CEO posted several messages stressing that the platform’s goal is to encourage open debate while pushing back against misinformation the following day.
Musk wrote on X, “on this platform, the people decide the narrative. You hear all sides of an argument. Community Notes corrects everyone, no exceptions.”
“As recent events have shown all too clearly, you can’t trust the legacy (fka mainstream) news at all,” the Tesla CEO added, as quoted by MoneyControl. “They lie relentlessly or simply ignore major stories that don’t fit their collectively decided narrative.”
The Musk–Navarro feud has been fueled by clashing worldviews and sharp personal jabs. Navarro, who built his reputation in Washington as a fierce advocate of tariffs and economic nationalism, has repeatedly argued that America needs permanent trade barriers to protect factory jobs. Musk, on the other hand, has pushed for fewer restrictions, even floating the idea of a tariff-free trade zone with Europe.
The divide quickly turned personal. Navarro dismissed Tesla as little more than a “car assembler” dependent on imported parts rather than a true American manufacturer. “When it comes to tariffs and trade, we all understand in the White House, and the American people understand, that Elon is a car manufacturer, but he’s not a car manufacturer. He’s a car assembler. He wants the cheap foreign parts,” Navarro stated mocking Musk in an interview with CNBC.
Musk hit back in characteristically blunt fashion, branding Navarro “truly a moron” and “dumber than a sack of bricks.” He even poked fun at Navarro’s past use of a fictional economist, “Ron Vara,” an anagram of his own name that Navarro slipped into his books as a supposed expert.
What began as a policy disagreement over tariffs has since spiraled into one of Washington’s most colorful grudges now, partly economic debate, part personality clash, and very much a battle of egos.
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Navarro has long been one of Trump’s fiercest trade warriors, famous for remarks like saying there was a “special place in hell” for Canada’s Justin Trudeau. His latest criticism of India as an opportunist is part of the same playbook, aimed at defending Trump’s new tariff hikes including the 25 percent duty slapped on Indian goods on August 6.
Casting India as both a profiteer from the Ukraine war and a threat to U.S. jobs helps Navarro reinforce the “America First” narrative he has pushed for years. Musk, whose businesses are built on global supply chains, sees it differently.
Earlier this year, when Trump unveiled his sweeping new tariffs which his supporters hailed as “Liberation Day”. Navarro was quick to cheer the move as a win for American workers. While Musk took the opposite stance, and urging instead for “zero tariffs” between nations.
The latest round in the Musk–Navarro feud shows just how far their rivalry has moved beyond personal insults into a clash of visions for America’s future. Navarro continues to frame global trade as a threat to U.S. jobs and national security, while Musk pushes for openness, arguing that innovation depends on cross-border collaboration.