MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bolsonaro, Musk make joint announcement in Sao Paulo

The hashtag #BolsonaroMusk became the number 1 trend in Brazil.

Billionaire Elon Musk and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro have agreed to start a strategic partnership ahead of this year's Oct. 2 elections, it was reported.

Musk's SpaceX will be in charge of monitoring deforestation in Amazonia to improve the head of state's image regarding environmental issues. Bolsonaro is also said to be eyeing communication benefits if Musk finally pulls through with his Twitter buy-over.

Bolsonaro and Musk said Friday in Sao Paulo that a satellite connection program will become available for isolated schools, in addition to the “environmental monitoring” of the Amazon. Musk highlighted the benefits from such an undertaking for 19,000 rural schools citing “educational and environmental” reasons.

The Brazilian head of state dubbed Musk a “myth of freedom” and said he is counting on him to show “how we preserve the Amazon” and also to show “how much harm those who spread lies about that region cause us.”

The meeting had been brokered by Communications Minister Fábio Faria, who was also present at the Sao Paulo hotel during the event. The hashtag #BolsonaroMusk became the number 1 trend in the country Friday.

Faria had started negotiations for this encounter to take place during a trip last November to Austin, Texas, where he contacted Musk.

Oliver Stuenkel, professor of International Relations at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Sao Paulo, explained the program may help Bolsonaro politically “despite the fact that ... the problem of combating deforestation is not the lack of monitoring.”

Musk's intentions to acquire Twitter were praised by Bolsonaro, who looks forward to less control on social media ahead of the presidential campaign. “The example he gave us when he announced the purchase of Twitter, left us a breath of hope,” Bolsonaro said Friday. Many of his postings have been removed in the past for allegedly spreading fake news.

”Musk has become in recent weeks a kind of hero of Bolsonarism. His possible acquisition of Twitter was seen as good news because it would supposedly end the restrictions that are emerging in several social networks, including Twitter,' Stuenkel explained.

Elon Musk has said that his proposed purchase is motivated by a desire to ensure that there is freedom of speech on the platform and declared himself in favor of lifting the veto against former US President Donald Trump.