Brazil’s first lady Janja Lula da Silva sparked controversy at a G20 social event Saturday when she directed an expletive at billionaire Elon Musk during remarks about social media regulation, escalating tensions between the Brazilian government and the X platform owner.
During her speech about combating misinformation, a ship’s horn interrupted her remarks, prompting her to quip, “I think it’s Elon Musk,” before adding in English, “I’m not afraid of you, fuck you, Elon Musk.”
Musk responded on his social platform X with a laughing emoji, later adding, “They are going to lose the next election,” referring to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s administration.
The confrontation highlights ongoing tensions between Musk and Brazilian authorities after his platform X, formerly Twitter, was temporarily suspended in Brazil this year. The suspension came after the company failed to appoint a legal representative in the country and ignored court orders to block accounts accused of spreading misinformation and hate speech.
The incident occurred during preliminary events before the Rio de Janeiro G20 summit scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, where world leaders will gather to discuss global economic issues.
The exchange underscores growing friction between social media platforms and governments attempting to regulate online content, particularly in Brazil where authorities have taken increasingly aggressive steps to combat what they describe as digital misinformation.
