A dispute arose on Grok following Peter Navarro’s criticism of the platform’s fact-checking of a post regarding India. Elon Musk responded to the criticism, defending Community Notes’ impartiality. Musk did not directly name or address Navarro in his response. 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, and code is public source. Grok provides further fact-checking.” The controversy began when Navarro criticized India and accused it of “profiteering” from Russian oil imports. He wrote, “FACTS: India highest tariffs costs US jobs. India buys Russian oil purely to profit/Revenues feed Russia war machine. Ukrainians/Russians die. U.S. taxpayers shell out more. India can’t handle truth/spins.” X’s fact-checking notes refuted Navarro’s statements, explaining that India’s oil purchases were for “energy security” and that the transactions didn’t violate sanctions. The notes also cited the US’s trade surplus in services with India and the hypocrisy of the US’s ongoing import of commodities from Russia. The fact-checkers highlighted that Navarro’s claims were hypocritical. X termed it a “clear double standard,” pointing out that the US was pressuring India while continuing to buy commodities from Russia. Navarro dismissed the fact-checking as “crap” and accused Elon Musk of promoting “propaganda” on X. This development is part of Navarro’s ongoing criticism of India, especially after the Trump administration imposed tariffs on India for buying oil from Russia. Navarro has also made multiple claims, accusing India of supporting Russia’s military actions, running a “profiteering scheme,” and acting as a “laundromat for the Kremlin,” and made a racist remark against India.
