'Whoever Messes With Me...': Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro Dares Elon Musk To A Fight, He Accepts

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whose claim to victory at the polls has been widely contested, challenged Tesla CEO Elon Musk to a “fight” on national television, which the business tycoon accepted. This was the result of an escalation of a war of words online between the two amid the political crisis in Caracas.

“Elon Musk. Whoever messes with me, dries up. Whoever messes with Venezuela dries up, Elon Musk. You want to fight? Let’s have it, Elon Musk. I’m ready… I am not afraid of you. Let’s go at it, wherever you want… Just say where,” Maduro said on Wednesday (July 31).

Musk posted on X: “I accept… He will chicken out.”

Earlier, the top US diplomat for Latin America said Maduro overwhelmingly lost to opponent Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, endorsing vote tallies released by the opposition as Venezuela’s electoral authority failed to release detailed results.

The country’s National Electoral Council (CNE) is yet to release a detailed vote breakdown to back its awarding of the July 28 election to Maduro, despite calls to do so from the opposition and many nations in the region and elsewhere.

‘Shame on Dictator Maduro’

Musk, who has regularly slammed Maduro’s policies on X, called Maduro a “dictator” and “travesty” after the election results. Before the Venezuelan election, Musk posted: “It is time for the people of Venezuela to have the chance for a better future. Support Maria Corina!” He was referring to the wildly popular opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who was barred from running against Maduro.

After the vote, and the announcement of the results, Musk said: “Shame on Dictator Maduro” and “What a travesty.”

He also posted a 2020 announcement from the US Drug Enforcement Administration of criminal charges against Maduro for drug trafficking and a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest. The posts sparked outrage from Maduro.

“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,” the president said.

“He wants to control the world, he already controls Argentina… You want to fight? Elon Musk, I am ready. I am the son of Bolivar and Chavez, I’m not afraid of you, Elon Musk… The people defeated Elon Musk’s bots, we defeated Elon Musk’s bots!”

Musk’s retort came in Spanish: “An ass knows more than Maduro.” Later, the billionaire added: “Sorry to have compared the poor ass to Maduro. That was an insult to the animal kingdom.”

‘Attacks directed by Elon Musk’

Maduro is no friend of Musk and the feeling is clearly mutual. Musk — who leads SpaceX and Tesla, and owns the social network X — is an ultra-capitalist who backs former US president Donald Trump, meaning he is everything that the socialist president despises.

But Maduro has recently had Musk in his sights, accusing him of being behind “attacks against Venezuela” and possibly the mastermind of an alleged “computer hacking” at the CNE.

On Tuesday (July 31), following a meeting of top political and military advisors, the president announced the creation of a special committee, aided by Russian and Chinese experts, to evaluate the nation’s biosecurity and an attack on the CNE’s communications systems.

“The attacks, I am sure, were directed by the power of Elon Musk,” he said.

Opposition figures and observers, however, do not believe there was actually a hack but that authorities self-sabotaged the system so they would not have to provide the real election results. Before voters cast their ballots, Maduro was running well behind Urrutia in independent opinion polls.

Later in the day, Maduro addressed hundreds of supporters from his balcony — and once again attacked Musk. “Venezuela, as I said yesterday and today, is facing domestic and international aggression from world powers, and now it is evident that Elon Musk is obsessed with the idea of taking over Venezuela and ruling it from abroad,” Maduro said.

“He is largely responsible for these attacks and acts of aggression,” he said, suggesting the existence of a “global alliance of the far right, the fascist far right, drug traffickers, Elon Musk and the imperialist US government.”

“All those who come after Venezuela, we will eliminate them,” he added.

(With agency inputs)