Brazil’s first lady, Janja Lula da Silva, launched a fiery verbal attack on Elon Musk, saying “f**k you, Elon Musk,” at a G20 social event in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday. The outburst came as she spoke on the importance of regulating social media to combat misinformation.
As she was addressing the crowd, the horn of a ship sounded, reacting to which she joked and said, “I think it’s Elon Musk, I’m not afraid of you, f**k you, Elon Musk.”
Musk, who owns the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), quickly fired back. Responding to a video of Lula da Silva’s comments, Musk shared laughing emojis and commented, “They are going to lose the next election.”
The exchange comes amid an ongoing clash between Musk and Brazilian authorities, which has reached a boiling point in recent months. X’s operations in Brazil were suspended earlier this year for failing to comply with local regulations, including court orders to remove accounts accused of spreading fake news and hate speech. The social network also faced penalties for not appointing a legal representative in the country, a requirement under Brazilian law.
The legal saga between Musk and Brazil began in 2024, when the country’s Supreme Court ordered X to comply with local moderation rules. Musk, however, resisted these directives, calling them censorship and even labeling Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who issued the orders, a “dictator.” The platform’s refusal to follow these orders led to a month-long suspension in Brazil in August, which severely impacted X’s operations in Latin America’s largest market.
Why was X banned?
In October, Brazil’s Supreme Court allowed social media platform X to resume operations after Elon Musk’s company complied with court orders to moderate content and appoint a local legal representative.
X had been suspended since August 2024 for failing to adhere to Brazilian regulations regarding hate speech and misinformation. This suspension escalated a legal battle between Musk and Brazil’s judiciary, which had accused X of undermining efforts to combat online misinformation, particularly after unrest linked to former president Jair Bolsonaro.
Musk initially resisted these court orders, even calling Brazilian Justice Alexandre de Moraes a “dictator.” However, to regain access to Brazil’s significant market, Musk’s platform has now begun blocking accounts as required and paid fines.
