Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has accused SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk of trying to disrupt peace and stability in the South American country.
The National Electoral Council (CNE) of Venezuela on Sunday declared Maduro the winner of the country’s presidential election, announcing that with 80% of ballots counted, he had secured more than 51% of the vote, compared to 44% for his main rival, Edmundo Gonzales.
Supporters of Western-backed Gonzalez have taken to the streets following the release of the official results, claiming that the vote was rigged.
Musk, who owns social media platform X (formerly Twitter), took to it on Monday to accuse Maduro of “major election fraud.”
The Venezuelan president responded to the claims by challenging the billionaire to a fight, during an address he made on national television.
“Social media creates a virtual reality, and who controls the virtual reality? Our new archenemy, the famous Elon Musk,” Maduro stated, pointing to a cellphone.
He then accused Musk of seeking to come “with his rockets and an army to invade Venezuela” but did not elaborate on the claim.
“At least you showed your face, because we knew that you were behind everything,” Maduro claimed. “With your money, with your satellites. It is the representation of fascist ideology in the world.”
The Venezuelan president went on, challenging Musk “Do you want to fight? Let’s do it ... I’m ready. I’m not afraid of you, Elon Musk. Let’s fight, wherever you want.”
Musk, in response, shared the video of Maduro’s speech on X, with a caption in Spanish that translates as “The donkey knows more than Maduro.”
It’s not the first case of Musk’s confrontation with senior foreign officials. In April, the businessman clashed with a Supreme Court justice in Brazil over free speech, as well as far-right accounts and misinformation on X.
Maduro will be serving a third consecutive six-year term, having first taken office in 2013 following the death of President Hugo Chavez. In his victory speech, Maduro mocked the opposition, which, he said, “cries fraud” at every election. The Venezuelan president said his reelection would bring peace and stability.