Billionaire Elon Musk and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro continue escalating their public feud amid the South American country's electoral fallout, with both claiming to be willing to engage in a physical fight.
The latest development came from Musk. He was replying to a publication on X, his social media platform, where Maduro could be seeing addressing a group of army members outside the presidential palace.
The publication Musk reacted to claimed that Maduro was giving direct orders to his security forces to "keep Elon Musk out at all costs." "The donkey dictator is delusional enough to think that Elon is going to personally show up and give him a thrashing. He is afraid. How are these goons going to stop space lasers?" adds the post.
I’m coming for you Maduro! 🚀💣
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 1, 2024
I will carry you to Gitmo on a donkey 🫏 https://t.co/RB5qltxsYI
Musk, on his end, said: "I'm coming for you Maduro. I will carry you to Gitmo on a donkey," a reference to the U.S. Guantanamo Bay prison. However, while Maduro has indeed addressed the mogul on several occasions, even saying "let's have at it" in a press conference after being told Musk expressed willingness to fight him, the video he was reacting to did not mention him.
Maduro was discussing the apprehension of protesters with security forces, with officials telling him many had been paid $50 to do so. "They are criminals, they have been trained in Texas, Colombia, Peru and Chile to come and stage attacks, commit arson. I am fighting, I am counting on you," Maduro told security forces while raising his fists.
The clash began on Monday, when Maduro addressed criticism from Musk and called him Venezuela's new "archenemy." He said the mogul is "desperate to come to Venezuela with his rockets and an army to invade Venezuela," and openly challenged him to a fight.
"Whoever messes with me, fails. Whoever messes with Venezuela, fails. You want to fight? Let's have it, Elon Musk. I am ready. I am the son of (Simón) Bolívar and (Hugo) Chávez," the president said.
Musk, known for his penchant for social media controversies, quickly picked the glove. In a series of posts, he said he accepted the challenge and taunted Maduro, replying in a post that he will "chicken out" from the fight.
He later responded to a poll about who would win in such an event, saying: "If I win, he resigns as dictator of Venezuela. If he wins, I give him a free ride to Mars." The poll, with 100,000 votes, has Musk as the hypothetical victor with over 80% of the votes.
Maduro reacted to Musk's replies on Wednesday evening, acknowledging the acceptance: "He accepted, let's have at it. If I win, I accept going to Mars, but you come with me."
Maduro continues to face widespread criticism for his government's failure to provide granular results backing its claimed victory. Instead, he has doubled down, claiming that the opposition is leading an attack to destabilize the administration.
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