Maduro has accused Musk of orchestrating attacks against Venezuela.
Billionaire Elon Musk has accepted a challenge to fight Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on national television. The SpaceX and Tesla chief, and the owner of the social network X, took to his platform to respond to Maduro's challenge. "I accept," he tweeted, sparking a flurry of reactions online.
The animosity between Musk and Maduro has been brewing for some time amidst political turmoil in Caracas. Maduro, whose victory in the recent elections has been widely contested, has found a foe in Musk, a staunch ultra-capitalist and supporter of Donald Trump. This ideological clash pits billionaire Musk against Maduro, a socialist leader who rose from humble beginnings as a bus driver to preside over the oil-rich yet economically struggling nation.
Maduro has accused Musk of orchestrating attacks against Venezuela, alleging that the tech mogul is behind a supposed "computer hacking" at the National Electoral Council (CNE). The CNE controversially declared Maduro the winner of the latest vote without providing detailed data, a move that has led to allegations of foul play.
Following Musk's public comments against him, Maduro responded by saying, "Social media creates a virtual reality, and who controls the virtual reality? Our new archenemy, the famous Elon Musk," he began his speech. Do you want to fight? Let's do it. Elon Musk, I'm ready," Maduro said. I'm not afraid of you Elon Musk. Let's fight, wherever you want."
Musk took to X and replied to a lot of people reacting to the development. In one particular post Musk referred to Maduro as a "big guy", while taking a sly dig at Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg by terming him a "little fella".
"Maduro is a big guy himself and probably knows how to fight, so this would be a real fight. Zuck is a little fella, so that would be a short fight lol," he posted.
"If I win, he resigns as dictator of Venezuela. If he wins, I give him a free ride to Mars," Musk wagered.
Following the Venezuelan election results, Musk expressed his disapproval, calling Maduro a "dictator" and describing the election as a "travesty." He even posted a 2020 announcement from the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) about criminal charges against Maduro for drug trafficking, which includes a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest.
Maduro's response was fiery. "He wants to come here with his guns and an army to invade Venezuela. Elon Musk, good thing you showed your face because we knew you were behind it all! With your money and your satellites," Maduro claimed.
Musk's retort was sharp and in Spanish: "An ass knows more than Maduro." He later apologised, albeit sarcastically, adding, "Sorry to have compared the poor ass to Maduro. That was an insult to the animal kingdom."