Brazil’s first lady, Janja Lula da Silva, used profanity against billionaire Elon Musk at an event leading up to the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro.
Incident at the G20 Event
While participating in a panel discussion on disinformation and advocating for stricter social media regulations, Janja Lula da Silva was startled by a loud noise. She quipped, “I think it’s Elon Musk.”
She then added, “I’m not afraid of you,” before swearing at the billionaire, who is the owner of Tesla and the social media platform X.
Musk’s Response
Musk, who has been selected to lead the Department of Government Efficiency in the incoming US President Donald Trump’s administration, has a complex relationship with Brazil and its left-wing government. Earlier this year, X faced a brief ban in Brazil.
He shared a video of the incident on X, captioning it with “lol”. In another post, he added two laughing emojis and wrote, “They are going to lose the next election,” seemingly referring to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s Workers’ Party.
Brazil’s Relationship with X
Earlier in the year, Brazil’s Supreme Court imposed a nationwide ban on X after the platform failed to appoint a legal representative in the country and did not suspend accounts accused of spreading disinformation. The ban was lifted over a month later after X paid a fine of $5.1 million (£3.8 million).
Musk, however, is also an ally of Brazil’s former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted of undermining the electoral system following his 2022 election loss. Despite an eight-year ban from running for office, Bolsonaro has announced his intention to run again in the next elections, scheduled for 2026.
Bolsonaro shared a screenshot of the video and Musk’s response, commenting, “We now have another diplomatic problem.”
G20 Summit
Leaders from the G20 nations will convene for the summit, which begins on Monday.
