Tech billionaire Elon Musk has accepted a challenge from Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who is battling charges of poll fraud, for a televised fight, as political turmoil intensifies in Caracas.
"I accept," the SpaceX and Tesla chief executive officer said on his social media platform X, formerly Twitter, after Maduro challenged him, angry over Musk’s dictator jibe.
Maduro, whose recent election victory has been called into question, accused Musk of orchestrating cyber-attacks on Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE). The CNE declared Maduro the winner without providing detailed data, tiggering protests.
Maduro called Musk the "new archenemy" and challenged him to a fight. "Social media creates a virtual reality, and who controls the virtual reality? Our new archenemy, the famous Elon Musk," Maduro said. "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."
In response, Musk posted a series of tweets, taking jabs at both Maduro and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, whom he has challenged for a fight.
"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," Musk tweeted.
"If I win, he resigns as dictator of Venezuela. If he wins, I give him a free ride to Mars," Musk wagered, sparking a flurry of online reactions.
Musk has repeatedly called Maduro a "dictator" and criticised the recent election as a "travesty." He also highlighted a 2020 announcement from the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) that includes criminal charges against Maduro for drug trafficking, with a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest.
Maduro hit back. "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 said.
Musk’s retorts were equally provocative. "An ass knows more than Maduro," he tweeted in Spanish. "Sorry to have compared the poor ass to Maduro. That was an insult to the animal kingdom," he later said.
The clash also highlights the starkly different ideologies the two adhere to. Musk, a staunch ultra-capitalist, and Maduro, a socialist leader who rose from humble beginnings as a bus driver to lead the economically struggling, oil-rich nation of Venezuela.
Whether the “fight” will materialise remains to be seen but it has certainly captured global attention.
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