Brazil’s First Lady insults Elon Musk at G20 social event

Brazil’s first lady, Janja Lula da Silva, swore at billionaire Elon Musk during a G20 social event on Saturday at which she spoke about the need to regulate social media to rein in misinformation.

A ship’s horn sounded as she spoke and she joked, “I think it’s Elon Musk,” before adding she was not afraid of the tech tycoon, using a swear word to reinforce her point.

Rosangela da Silva, the wife of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, took aim at the billionaire owner of the X platform while talking about the effects of social media and the need to combat fake news.

The feud has been brewing between Lula’s camp and the world’s richest man since even before Brazil’s Supreme Court blocked access to X earlier this year.

Janja, as the first lady is known, last year threatened to sue the social media company after an apparent hack of her account, accusing Musk of failing to adequately respond.

Musk, owner of social network X, reacted to a video of her remarks by posting a laughing-out-loud emoji graphic.

He later responded on X to a video of Janja swearing at him, saying “they will lose the next election.” Brazil’s next presidential contest is in 2026. Leftist Lula had a razor-thin victory over far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in 2022.

A spokesperson for Lula declined to comment. After Janja spoke at the event, however, Lula said that “we don’t have to offend or curse anyone.” The president’s wife spoke at an event ahead of the Rio de Janeiro summit of the G20 group of largest nations set for Monday and Tuesday.

Musk’s social messaging network was suspended in Brazil for a month this year for failing to name a legal representative in the country and ignoring court orders to block accounts accused of spreading “fake news” and hate messages. (Reuters and Tribune News Service) 

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