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Elon Musk was challenged to fight on national television by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the controversial Tesla CEO accepted.
Maduro, 61, called out Musk, 53, by name during a broadcast in which he also said the SpaceX founder is a “threat to Venezuela.”
Musk drew the ire of Maduro after publicly claiming Venezuela’s presidential election on Sunday, in which both candidates have claimed victory, was fraudulent and a “travesty.”
Major election fraud by Maduro https://t.co/fi4xcSVd2Y
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 29, 2024
“Maduro, leave!” Musk wrote on X (Twitter). “Venezuelans chose to end the communist dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro. The data announce a crushing victory of the opposition, and the world is waiting for you to recognize the defeat after years of socialism, misery, decadence and death.”
In response to Musk’s claims, Nicolas Maduro said, “Social media creates a virtual reality, and who controls the virtual reality? Our new archenemy, 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.”
Maduro, who declared in his tirade that he is a son of Hugo Chavez and Simon Bolívar, also called Musk a “representation of the fascist ideology, anti-natural, anti-society” and claimed he is “desperate.”
“Elon Musk. Whoever messes with me, dries up. Whoever messes with Venezuela dries up, Elon Musk,” Maduro added.
On Wednesday, Musk replied with a post on X, “I accept.”
Musk would later add in another post, “He will chicken out.”
Of course, any mention of Musk participating in a fight circles back to his repeated claims that he wants to fight Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Zuckerberg reportedly pulled out of a potential fight with Elon Musk in August of 2023 (and Elon called him a “chicken” too), but a later report claimed it was Musk who didn’t want to be drug tested or have to be medically screened for a fight.