Brazil’s First Lady Swears at Elon Musk in G20 Speech on Social Media Regulation

Brazil’s First Lady, Janja Lula da Silva, made headlines over the weekend at a G20 event in Rio de Janeiro, where she directed a profane message at billionaire Elon Musk. Speaking on the importance of combating fake news and regulating social media, Janja Lula da Silva did not mince words when addressing Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX. According to Reuters, a ship’s horn sounded during her speech, prompting her to joke, “I think it’s Elon Musk,” before firmly stating, “F*** you, Elon Musk.” U.S. Air Force / Trevor Cokley / Palácio do Planalto from Brasilia, Brasil / Wikimedia

The incident is part of a broader feud between the first lady and Musk, which escalated after a hack of her X (formerly Twitter) account. She accused Musk of failing to adequately address the security breach and even threatened legal action against his company. Agência Senado / Wikimedia

Musk, who has been a vocal supporter of Donald Trump, quickly responded to the video of her speech with a dismissive “Lol” and a prediction that “They will lose the next election.” Jack Gruber / USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The tension between Brazil and Musk’s X platform has been ongoing. In October, X returned to Brazil after a more than month-long suspension, following a dispute with Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. The suspension was lifted after Musk’s company complied with de Moraes’ demands, which included blocking certain accounts, paying fines, and appointing a legal representative in Brazil, according to the Associated Press. Palácio do Planalto / Wikimedia

Brazil, with an estimated 20 to 40 million X users, is one of the platform’s largest markets. X