After his much-talked-about MMA fight with Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg never became a reality, it seems like Tesla owner Elon Musk has now set on another opponent for a fight night. No, this opponent is not from a tech firm, instead, he is Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
'Major Election Fraud'
The confrontation began when Musk, CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and the owner of X (formerly Twitter), accused Maduro of "major election fraud" following the controversial Venezuelan presidential election. Both Maduro and his opponent Edmundo González claimed victory, but the National Electoral Council (CNE) declared Maduro the winner without releasing detailed results, leading to allegations of election rigging.
Maduro, during a national television broadcast, accused Musk of orchestrating cyber-attacks against Venezuela, blaming him for a supposed "computer hacking" incident at the CNE.
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He asserted, "Social media create a virtual reality, and who controls the virtual reality? Our new archenemy is the famous Elon Musk. 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. "
Musk responded on X with a bold statement: "I’m coming for you Maduro!" Musk also quipped about transporting Maduro to Guantanamo Bay on a donkey.
The tech billionaire's criticism of Maduro intensified after the Venezuelan election results were announced, with Musk labelling Maduro a "dictator" and the election a "travesty."
Maduro fired back, accusing Musk of planning to invade Venezuela, "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."
Musk Supporters Weigh In
This exchange has sparked a flurry of online reactions. Musk's followers and critics alike have weighed in on the bizarre challenge. In response to one comment, Musk acknowledged Maduro's physical prowess, saying, "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," referencing this his fight-that-never-happened with Zuckerberg.
Musk further upped the stakes by suggesting terms for the fight: "If I win, he resigns as dictator of Venezuela. If he wins, I give him a free ride to Mars."
Just like the Musk-Zuck fight, it's safe to speculate that this feud will also fizzle out soon. However, it does make for some fun reads on social media.