The tech billionaire responded to the Venezuelan President’s challenge via the social media platform X. He tweeted “I accept” after a user shared a screenshot from a news article reporting that the Venezuelan President had challenged Elon Musk to a televised fight.
The caption on the post read, “Maduro has now challenged Elon Musk to a nationally televised fight.”
In another remark, Elon Musk stated, “If I win, he resigns as dictator of Venezuela. If he wins, I give him a free ride to Mars.”
The verbal sparring between Elon Musk and Nicolas Maduro has intensified amidst the ongoing political turmoil in Caracas.
On Monday, the National Electoral Council (CNE) announced that Nicolas Maduro had secured 51% of the vote, while opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia garnered 44% in the election held on July 28. After Maduro was declared re-elected by the CNE without releasing detailed data, violent protests erupted in Venezuela, challenging the election results.
Their ideological differences are stark. Nicolas Maduro, a socialist leader who rose from his humble beginnings as a bus driver, now governs an oil-rich but economically struggling nation.
The Venezuelan President accused the tech mogul of masterminding attacks against his country, claiming that the Tesla CEO was involved in “computer hacking” at the National Electoral Council.
Following Maduro’s victory, Elon Musk took to X to label the election a “travesty” and referred to Nicolas Maduro as a “dictator.” He also shared a 2020 announcement from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) regarding criminal charges against Maduro for drug trafficking.
In response to Musk’s inflammatory comments, Nicolas Maduro retaliated, saying, “Social media creates a virtual reality, and who controls the virtual reality? Our new archenemy, the famous Elon Musk.” He then challenged Musk, saying, “Do you want to fight? Let’s do it. Elon Musk, I’m ready. I’m not afraid of you, Elon Musk. Let’s fight wherever you want.”
