Trump's trade adviser Peter Navarro slams Indians, claims they ‘firebombed’ him online over ‘Brahmins profiteering’ remark | WATCH

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro has hit back at a wave of online criticism from Indians over his repeated attacks on India's trade policies and its continued purchase of Russian oil, saying he was effectively "firebombed" by the Indian community on the internet.

Talking to the press, Navarro insisted that US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have a "very good working relationship" and would resolve issues concerning the Russian oil-related tariff issue. He also claimed that “ I got actually firebombed by the Indian continent on the internet.”

"All I would say to you, don't do that. That's not how we resolve problems here in America."

The remarks came after Navarro faced intense backlash over a series of comments targeting India, including his criticism of New Delhi's Russian oil purchases and high tariffs.

Navarro's 'Brahmins' remark sparked outrage

One of Navarro's most controversial comments came in August 2025, when he accused "Brahmins" of profiteering from India's trade with Russia.

"Modi is a great leader. I don't understand why he's getting into bed with Putin and Xi when he's the biggest democracy in the world," Navarro had said on Fox News. "I would simply say to the Indian people, please, understand what is going on here, you got Brahmins profiteering at the expense of the Indian people."

The comments triggered widespread condemnation in India, with critics accusing Navarro of reducing a complex economic and geopolitical relationship to stereotypes.

Navarro had also described India as a "laundromat for the Kremlin" over its purchases of discounted Russian oil and repeatedly labelled the country the "Maharaja of tariffs".

His remarks quickly became fodder for social media users, with Indians mocking his claims through memes and sarcastic posts. Some users even created images portraying Russian President Vladimir Putin as "Vladimir Pandey", while others joked about Brahmins conducting Hindu rituals using Russian oil.

'Keyboard minions' and Community Notes

The online confrontation did not end there. Navarro later accused Indian users of acting as "keyboard minions" and claimed they were using X's Community Notes feature to bury what he called facts about India's trade policies.

Several of Navarro's posts had been challenged with Community Notes, prompting him to accuse Indian users of trying to manipulate the platform. In a controversial poll on X, he even questioned whether the platform should present fact-checked Community Notes as comments. The poll backfired when roughly 75 to 79 per cent of respondents voted against his premise, and the post received a crowdsourced Community Note contradicting his claims.

Despite that, Navarro continued to argue that India maintains some of the world's highest trade barriers and benefits heavily from access to American markets. The clash comes as Washington and New Delhi continue negotiations over tariffs and trade, even as President Donald Trump has maintained that he has a strong relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.