In a move that has left diplomats and tech analysts alike scratching their heads, Elon Musk, the mercurial CEO of X (formerly Twitter), has made an unsolicited offer to purchase the entire nation of Brazil for a staggering $4.2 trillion.
The surprise bid comes on the heels of X's decision to cease operations in the South American country due to ongoing legal battles with Brazilian authorities over content moderation.
"Why argue with one judge when you can be the whole judiciary?" Musk tweeted late last night, attaching a hastily photoshopped image of himself wearing a crown fashioned from the Brazilian flag.
Sources close to the matter report that Musk's offer includes plans to rename the country "Xzil" and establish a new form of government he's dubbed a "memocracy," where national policies are determined by the most viral posts on the X platform.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva responded to the offer with visible confusion during an emergency press conference. "I'm not entirely sure Mr. Musk understands how countries work," he stated, visibly perplexed. "We're not a publicly traded company. You can't just... buy us."
Undeterred, Musk doubled down on his proposal, promising to "Make Social Media Great Again" by turning the entire nation into a "free speech zone" where content moderation laws would be determined by a council of his choosing, primarily composed of his most ardent Twitter followers and several high-profile podcasters.
The audacious bid has sent shockwaves through the international community. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a terse statement, reminding Musk that "nations are not NFTs" and urging him to "please, for the love of God, focus on making electric cars."
Meanwhile, X's stock price surged 20% on the news, with some analysts speculating that Musk's outlandish behavior might actually be a clever ploy to distract from the company's recent financial woes.
As of press time, Musk had sweetened his offer by promising to personally oversee the completion of Rio de Janeiro's long-delayed subway expansion project, vowing to have "hyperloop pods running under Copacabana by 2025, guaranteed."
Brazilian citizens have responded to the proposal with a mix of bemusement and resignation. Local X user @SambaLover22 summed up the national mood: "At this point, why not? Can't be worse than our current politicians."
