‘Brahmins are profiteering’, ‘India kills Ukrainians’: A look at Navarro’s remarks on India that led to 'firebombing'

Peter Navarro was on the receiving end of what he described as “nasty” insults on the internet because of an opinion piece he wrote.

Trump’s trade adviser Peter Navarro, who has multiple times criticised India’s oil purchase from Russia, said on Wednesday that he was “firebombed” by Indians with all sorts of “nasty” little attacks.

White House trade counselor Peter Navarro. (AP Photo)

He urged the people abusing him to not do that, saying that's not how problems are solved in America.

“I actually got firebombed by the Indian continent on the internet with all sorts of nasty little attacks. And all I would say is, don't do that. That's not how we resolve problems here in America,” he told reporters at the White House.

Why did Navarro become a target of Indians?

Navarro was on the receiving end of what he described as “nasty” insults on the internet because of an opinion piece he wrote for the Financial Times.

However, this is not the only time he has criticised India. Last year, Navarro called New Delhi a "laundromat for the Kremlin". He claimed that before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, India had little engagement with Russian crude.

“What happened? Well, the Russian refiners went in and got into bed with big oil India. Putin gives (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi a discount on the crude. They refine it and they ship it to Europe, Africa and Asia at a big premium and they make a ton of money,” he said.

“India is nothing but a laundromat for the Kremlin. It kills Ukrainians,” he added.

Saying that he failed to understand why India was deepening ties with Moscow and Beijing, Navarro had claimed that “Brahmins” were profiteering at the expense of the rest of India.

“I would just say to the Indian people, please, understand what's going on here. The Brahmins are profiteering at the expense of the Indian people. We need that to stop.”

Stepping up his ante on India, he also referred to the Russia-Ukraine conflict as "Modi's war", claiming that the money Moscow earns through oil sales is used to fund "its war machine" in Ukraine.

“Everybody in America loses because of what India is doing. The consumers and businesses and everything lose, and workers lose because India’s high tariffs cost us jobs, factories, and income and higher wages. And then the taxpayers lose because we got to fund Modi’s war,” he said during an interview on Bloomberg TV's Balance of Power.

Navarro has also used the term “Maharaja of tariffs” for India – the first time being just days after Trump's tariff announcement.

"It's important to understand that the rationale for the Indian tariffs are very different from the reciprocal tariffs. This was a pure national security issue associated with India's abject refusal to stop buying Russian oil," Navarro said as he called India the 'Maharaja of tariffs'.

What was in the Op-ed?

In the latest writeup, he described India's oil trade with Russia as “opportunistic” and “corrosive” to international efforts aimed at isolating the Russian economy.

He added that with India’s continued purchase of oil from Russia – which in turn helps them to attack Ukraine – forces American and European taxpayers to spend billions to help Ukraine’s defence.

“As Russia continues to hammer Ukraine, helped by India’s financial support, American (and European) taxpayers are then forced to spend tens of billions more to help Ukraine’s defence. Meanwhile, India keeps slamming the door on American exports through high tariffs and trade barriers. More than 300,000 soldiers and civilians have been killed, while Nato’s eastern flank grows more exposed and the west foots the bill for India’s oil laundering,” wrote Navarro.

Who is Peter Navarro?

Navarro, a Harvard University graduate with a PhD in economics, currently serves as an adviser to US President Donald Trump on trade and manufacturing matters. He has long supported tariffs as a tool of economic policy.

He is also believed to have had a major influence on Trump's views on tariffs, including his decision to impose duties on Chinese imports during his first term.

Apart from his work in government and politics, Navarro has authored several books, including Death by China, Seeds of Destruction, Always a Winner, The Coming China Wars, If It’s Raining in Brazil, Buy Starbucks, and The Well-Timed Strategy.