‘They are going to lose the next election’: Elon Musk hits back after Brazil’s first lady uses F-word for him

Brazil’s first lady, Janja Lula da Silva, swore at billionaire Elon Musk during a G20 social event while speaking on the need to regulate social media to curb misinformation. 

Musk, owner of social network X, reacted to the video of her remarks by posting a laughing out loud emoji graphic and wrote “They are going to lose the next election,” in another post. His reference was to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.  

During her speech, the wife of Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, made the pointed remark after a ship’s horn blared in the background. She said, “I think it’s Elon Musk,” before adding, “I’m not afraid of you, fuck you, Elon Musk.”  

The president’s wife spoke at an event ahead of the Rio de Janeiro summit of the G20 group of largest nations set for November 18 and November 19. 

The social messaging platform 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.  

The company had also closed all its Brazil offices, citing “censorship” by a judge, although the service remained accessible to users in the country. The ban was lifted in October. 

The conflict between Musk and Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes began when X failed to comply with orders to block several profiles deemed by the government to be spreading misinformation about the 2022 Brazilian Presidential election.  

Despite repeated warnings, Musk’s platform did not designate a legal representative in Brazil, a requirement under the country's internet laws. This led Justice de Moraes to order the shutdown of X, marking a significant escalation in their ongoing feud. 

Brazil’s Supreme Court lifted a ban on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter last month. In his decision, Justice Alexandre de Moraes said that he authorised the “immediate return” of X’s activities in the country after it paid hefty fines and blocked accounts accused of spreading misinformation. 

Brazil is one of the biggest markets for the platform across the globe, as well as its largest in Latin America, with an estimated 22 million users.