Peter Navarro sparks outrage with ‘Brahmins profiteering’ remark in escalating US-India trade row
Officials in both Washington and New Delhi are attempting to safeguard cooperation in defense, technology, and space despite rising trade frictions. However, Trump's close aides, Navarro, Dan Bessent and Kevin Hassett, branded as "arsonists," continue to escalate tensions with provocative statements.
New Delhi: White House trade counselor Peter Navarro has once again stirred controversy in the ongoing US-India trade dispute, this time accusing "Brahmins” of profiteering from India’s dealings with Russia. Speaking on Fox News, Navarro claimed India was reselling refined Russian oil to the West, branding the country a "laundromat for Kremlin.” He went further, alleging, "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. 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. We need that to stop.”
The remark drew widespread indignation in India, with intellectuals and commentators slamming Navarro as "sinister” and "senile.” Critics pointed to the hypocrisy of Washington itself having long accommodated Moscow and Beijing when convenient. Social media trolls mocked Navarro by posting memes of Russian President Vladimir Putin as "Vladimir Pandey” and Brahmins using "pure Russian oil” in Hindu rituals.
Diplomats stress enduring ties
Although the term "Brahmin” is often used in the US metaphorically to denote elites—an idea that traces back to the 19th century "Boston Brahmins” coined by Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.—its invocation in the Indian context was seen as a racial and cultural slight. Navarro, already viewed as a discredited economist outside MAGA circles (Elon Musk once called him "Peter Retardo”), has become a lightning rod with his incendiary rhetoric. On the domestic front, he recently lashed out at U.S. Appeals Court judges who ruled against Trump’s tax policies, calling them "politicians in black robes.”
His latest barbs come even as US diplomats seek to contain damage from the tariff clash with New Delhi. The U.S. embassy in India, quoting Secretary of State Marco Rubio, stressed that "The partnership between the U.S and India continues to reach new heights — a defining relationship of the 21st century.” As part of a September campaign, it highlighted shared progress in innovation, defense, and entrepreneurship, underscoring "the enduring friendship between our two peoples.”
Trump fuels trade tensions
Officials from both countries are working to shield areas like defense, technology, and space cooperation from the fallout. Yet, Trump’s surrogates—including Navarro, Dan Bessent and Kevin Hassett, dubbed "arsonists” by critics—are seen as undermining that effort with daily provocations.
The tone is set by President Trump himself, who in a July 31 Truth Social post dismissed India’s economy as "dead.” He wrote, "I don't care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care.” Since then, Trump has refrained from further comment, leaving his advisers to intensify the offensive.