“Brahmins by Caste” or “Boston Brahmins”: Navarro's Jibe on India Leaves Indians Debating Who the Real Brahmins Are

Key Points:

Donald Trump’s aide and trade advisor, Peter Navarro, has gained widespread attention for his recent criticism of India. His recent “Brahmins” remark has stirred major controversy on the internet, with many calling Navarro casteist and racist. In a recent interview with Fox News on September 1, 2025, he included the term “Brahmins” in his statement, which many thought was “anti-Indian.”

The casteist remark arose amid ongoing diplomatic tensions between Washington and New Delhi over the 50% tariffs on Indian goods. In his statement to Fox News, Navarro said, “Brahmins are profiteering at the expense of the Indian people.”

The phrase immediately invited massive backlash on the internet, with many calling it a deliberate racist move. The comments followed the recent meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in China on September 1, 2025.

See Also: Trump Aide Peter Navarro Calls Ukraine Conflict “Modi’s War,” Blames India for Fuelling Russia

In the interview, Navarro called India the “Maharaja of tariffs.” He said that India has the highest tariffs in the world. He further said that workers in America, taxpayers, and Ukrainians are the ones who get hurt by the high tariff rates.

Navarro praised Modi, calling him a great leader, and asked why he was getting involved with Russia and China despite being the greatest democracy in the world. He said, “I don’t understand why he is getting into bed with Putin and Xi Jinping when India is the biggest democracy in the world.”

He addressed all Indians and explained that “you have got Brahmins profiteering at the expense of the Indian people, and we want that to stop.” His remarks quickly went viral. His comment prompted reactions from political figures as well as netizens. Some defended Navarro, whereas others called his statement a poor choice of words.

Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Economic Advisory Council, said that this reveals who shapes the Indian narrative in the United States. He further stated that Navarro's comment derived directly from 19th-century colonial jibes.

“This is derived directly from 19th century colonial jibes going back to the likes of James Mill. Edward Said's point about Orientalism is perhaps more correct for India than his original thesis on the Middle East,” said Sanyal.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi wrote on X that the usage of the term “Brahmin,” even in the context of elite Brahmins, by a senior US official is a deliberate move. She also called Navarro’s remark “shameful and sinister.”

Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghose defended Navarro’s comment for which she received backlash. She wrote in her post what the American context of the word “Brahmin” implied.

She wrote on X about the Boston Brahmins term, which was “widely used in the US to refer to the American New England wealthy elite.”

Several users on X commented that they have never heard of the term being used in day-to-day conversation. One user wrote: “The majority of people in the USA don’t even know anything about Brahmins. The fact that the White House senior counsel is blaming Brahmins is a clear sign of how the script is being rewritten in global politics. It’s sick how you are even trying to whitewash this!”

Another user wrote: “Clearly some desi on Team Trump has told him ‘Sir, the racist shit didn’t really land, let’s try caste.”

The term Boston Brahmin, which resembled the highest Hindu caste, was widely used in the 1800s to denote the rich and educated community. Writer Oliver Wendell Holmes coined the term in his novel Elsie Venner. He described Boston's elite families as the “Brahmin caste of New England” and also associated them with the English aristocrats.

The term referred to the old elite New England families, descendants of British Protestants, who later became an influential force in the development of American institutions. [Rh/VS]

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