Elon Musk, Tesla chief and Space X founder, on Wednesday accepted a challenge to fight Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on national television.
The tech billionaire took to social media platform X to respond to the Venezuelan President's challenge. He tweeted, "I accept," after a user posted a screengrab from a news daily which said the Venezuelan President was challenging Elon Musk to fight on national television.
The post's caption read, “Maduro has now challenged Elon Musk to a nationally televised fight.”
In another comment, Elon Musk said, “If I win, he resigns as dictator of Venezuela. If he wins, I give him a free ride to Mars.”
The war of words between Elon Musk and Nicolas Maduro has escalated amid the political unrest in Caracas.
On Monday, the National Electoral Council (CNE) declared that Nicolas Maduro secured 51% of the vote while the opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia secured 44% in the election held on July 28. After the incumbent President Nicolas Maduro was declared re-elected by CNE without disclosure of detailed data, violent protests escalated in Venezuela, contesting the poll turnout.
Their ideological conflicts set them apart. Nicolas Maduro is a socialist leader who emerged from his modest origins as a bus driver to govern a nation rich in oil but struggling economically.
The Venezuelan President accused the tech mogul of orchestrating attacks against his country. He alleged that the Tesla chief was involved in “computer hacking” at the National Electoral Council.
Following Maduro's win, Elon Musk posted on X, calling the election a “travesty” and referring to Nicolas Maduro as a “dictator.” The tech billionaire also shared a 2020 announcement from the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) about criminal charges against Maduro for drug trafficking.
Following Elon Musk's derogatory public comments, Nicolas Maduro, in retaliation, said, “Social media creates a virtual reality, and who controls the virtual reality? Our new archenemy, the famous Elon Musk,” he began his speech. "Do you want to fight? Let's do it. Elon Musk, I'm ready," Maduro said. "I'm not afraid of you, Elon Musk. Let's fight wherever you want," he said
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