Elon Musk has accepted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s challenge to fight. The surprising acceptance came after Maduro, in a video posted on Monday, accused Musk of plotting to invade Venezuela using space rockets from his company, SpaceX. Elon Musk, you are desperate.
You went off the rails. Control yourself, or you will fail just like these right-wing-led all-American politicians,” Maduro declared in the video. Whoever messes with Venezuela dries up, Elon Musk.
“You want to fight? Let’s have it,” says Elon Musk. “I am ready.”
Musk responded to the challenge on Wednesday with a brief “I accept,” adding fuel to a social media frenzy.
Maduro challenges Musk to duel
“If I win, he resigns as dictator of Venezuela. If he wins, I give him a free ride to Mars,” Musk quipped on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This confrontation follows the recent controversial presidential election in Venezuela, where Maduro was declared the winner with more than 50% of the vote. The opposition has disputed these results, claiming the election was marred by fraud. As the results were announced, anti-government protests erupted across the country, with Venezuelans tearing down images of Maduro and toppling statues of former leader Hugo Chávez.
The tension has only escalated with the Biden Administration easing energy sanctions on Venezuela, a move that some critics argue could impact domestic producers. “I’m putting my money on Elon. He’s a towering figure and has the mindset of a honey badger,” one social media user commented.
Another noted, “Maduro is a big guy himself and probably knows how to fight, so this would be a real fight.”
As the days go on, the world’s eyes are on Venezuela, watching this unprecedented and bizarre challenge unfold. Whether the fight will take place remains uncertain, but the spectacle has certainly captured the public’s imagination.
