Elon Musk wants to pick a fight. At least, that’s what he says. Despite continuing to fend off attacks from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the Tesla CEO says he’ll take on a challenge from Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. No, that’s not a dream.
Venezuela is in the midst of political turmoil stemming from an election result that declared Maduro the winner. The decision was made Monday by the National Electoral Council, made up of lawmakers from Maduro’s United Socialist Party, and did not release any information about the results. Supporters of Maduro’s opponent, former diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez, say exit polls and voter tallies show he won.
In multiple posts on Monday, Musk asserted on his platform X that Maduro committed “massive election fraud,” and spread other tweets making similar claims. This prompted the Venezuelan president to denounce Musk on state television and on Monday to challenge him to a fight.
“Social media is creating a virtual reality controlled by our new nemesis Elon Musk, who is leading an army to invade Venezuela. I’m so glad you showed your face. We all knew you were behind all the bots, with your money and your satellites.” Nicolas Maduro (summary) pic.twitter.com/wcuVQ4AMhv
— Camila (@camilapress) July 29, 2024
“Social media creates a virtual reality. So who controls that virtual reality? Our new nemesis, the famous Elon Musk,” Maduro said. “Do you want to fight? Let’s do it. Elon Musk, I’m ready. Elon Musk, I’m not afraid of you. Let’s fight wherever you want.”
Musk tweeted on Wednesday that he accepted the challenge and intends to up the ante.
“If I win, he will step down as dictator of Venezuela. If he wins, I will offer him a free trip to Mars,” Musk tweeted.
If this fight actually happens (which it won’t) and Musk loses, Maduro won’t be flying to Mars anytime soon.
Musk, eight years younger than the Venezuelan president, isn’t in good enough shape to compete with anyone right now: The Tesla CEO has claimed for years that he has severe neck and back pain stemming from trying to throw a champion sumo wrestler in 2014.
