Musk: Yes, I’ll Fight Venezuelan President Maduro on National TV

Elon Musk accepted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s challenge to fight him on national TV on Wednesday, writing to X he thinks the South American leader will “chicken out.”

The Tesla tech mogul, 53, and Maduro, 61, have gone after each other this week after Musk asserted that Venezuela’s election was fraudulent and that Maduro, the election’s winner, had actually been soundly defeated.

An enraged Maduro, often described as an autocrat, called out Musk by name in a tirade that was broadcasted Tuesday. Maduro declared he was a son of Hugo Chávez and Simón Bolívar, telling Musk he wasn’t afraid of taking him on anytime, anywhere.

Social media creates a virtual reality, and who controls the virtual reality? Our new archenemy, the famous Elon Musk,” Maduro said in Spanish. “Do you want to fight? Let’s do it, Elon Musk. I’m ready.”