‘Nasty Little Attacks’: Trump Aide Responds to Online Backlash Over India-Russia Oil Comments

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro has alleged that he faced a wave of online trolling after repeatedly criticising India over its trade policies and purchases of Russian oil.

Navarro described the backlash as being “firebombed” on the internet and urged his Indian critics to stop what he called “nasty little attacks”.

“I actually got firebombed by the Indian continent on the internet with all sorts of nasty little attacks,” Navarro said, adding that such attacks were not the way problems were resolved in the US.

Navarro has frequently targeted India’s continued purchase of Russian crude, arguing that the trade indirectly supports Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine.

He has previously referred to India as the “Maharaja of tariffs” and called the country a “laundromat for the Kremlin” while criticising its energy ties with Russia.

Navarro has argued that India increased its Russian oil purchases significantly after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

He claimed that India’s increased imports and subsequent refining of Russian crude helped provide revenue that supported Russia’s war effort.

Navarro also suggested that his criticism may have played a role in the reduction of India’s Russian oil purchases, pointing to an opinion article he wrote for the Financial Times.

India has previously dismissed Navarro’s statements on its Russian oil trade.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal described his remarks as “inaccurate and misleading” and rejected the allegations against New Delhi.

Navarro did not specify what messages or threats he received online, but characterised the response to his comments as widespread and called on his critics to refrain from personal attacks.