'F*** you, Elon Musk': How Brazil's first lady set off a political firestorm at G20 event

Elon Musk and (right) Brazil's first lady Janja Lula da Silva. (Image credit: AFP, X)

Brazil’s first lady Janja Lula da Silva, 58, triggered a political firestorm after she used an expletive on the world's richest person Elon Musk at a panel on disinformation and regulating social media at the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro last Saturday.

A clip being circulated on social media showed da Silva getting startled by a loud noise while advocating for tougher social media regulation on a panel about disinformation. She recovered quickly to quip: “I think it’s Elon Musk. I’m not afraid of you, f***k you, Elon Musk.”

Earlier this year, Musk--who owns X--waged a bitter battle against Brazil’s Supreme Court over free speech on the platform. It eventually led to X being banned in the country between August and October for allegedly spreading disinformation. The ban was lifted after the platform paid a $5.1 million fine more than a month later, the BBC reported.

But now, Brazilian opposition figures have denounced da Silva's insult, with some of the country’s diplomats sounding worried on social media that the comments could stand in the way of establishing a working relationship with President-elect Donald Trump, the New York Post reported.

Trump nominated Musk to join his administration as co-head of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency.

Musk also happens to be an ally of Brazil's former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, who was found guilty of discrediting the electoral system after losing in 2022. He has declared his intent to run again in the 2026 polls despite an eight-year ban stopping him from running in an election.

“We already have another diplomatic problem,” Bolsonaro wrote on X, referring to the First Lady's comments.

The country's conservative federal deputy Nikolas Ferreira shared a clip of the incident and noted that “Janja da Silva, the wife of Lula said ‘f—k you’ @elonmusk during a panel. This is the ‘tolerant left.'”

Janja da Silva, Lulas wife, just said fuck you, @elonmusk during the G20 Social panel. This is the tolerant left. pic.twitter.com/lphpxHiFgb
Nikolas Ferreira (@nikolas_dm) November 16, 2024

Meanwhile, Musk reacted to the insult immediately by reposting the video with laughing emojis and said: “They will lose the next election.”