Brazil’s First Lady, Janja Lula da Silva, has taken a swipe at billionaire Elon Musk during a high-profile event in Rio de Janeiro ahead of the G20 leaders’ summit.
The incident occurred during a panel discussion on disinformation, where Janja was advocating for stricter social media regulations.
As the conversation unfolded, a loud noise startled her, prompting her to humorously quip, “I think it’s Elon Musk.”
With a defiant tone, Janja continued, “I’m not afraid of you,” before seemingly swearing at Musk, who is the owner of Tesla and the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Her remark was an unexpected moment of tension at the event, given Musk’s global influence and his contentious relationship with Brazil’s left-wing government.
Musk, who has often been at odds with the Brazilian government, responded to the incident by sharing a video of the exchange on his own platform.
In his tweet, he captioned the video with a simple “lol,” offering a lighthearted reaction. He also added two laughing emojis in a subsequent post, writing,”They are going to lose the next election,” which appeared to be a reference to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s Workers’ Party and the upcoming elections.
Earlier this year, Musk’s platform faced significant challenges in Brazil when the country’s Supreme Court ordered a nationwide ban on X.
The ban was imposed after the company failed to name a legal representative in Brazil and did not act to suspend accounts spreading disinformation.
X was eventually allowed to return to Brazil after paying a hefty fine of $5.1 million (£3.8 million) to resolve the matter.
Musk’s ties with Brazil’s former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, a vocal critic of the current left-wing government, have added complexity to his interactions in the country.
Bolsonaro, who has been barred from running for office due to a conviction related to discrediting the electoral system, has expressed his intent to run again in the 2026 elections.
In response to the video of Janja’s remarks, Bolsonaro reposted the clip on his own social media, remarking, “We now have another diplomatic problem.”
As the G20 summit draws near, with world leaders set to meet on Monday, the exchange between Brazil’s first lady and Elon Musk adds yet another layer of intrigue to the ongoing political dynamics between Brazil and the tech billionaire.
