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The online clash between billionaire Elon Musk and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is getting even more heated. Recently, Musk shared a video by Ian Miles Cheong on X, which talked about the arrest of two young protesters in Venezuela.
The video suggested that Maduro was scared of Musk, and Musk added his own comment: “I’m coming for you Maduro! I will carry you to Gitmo on a donkey.”
The video didn’t actually mention Musk. It focused on Maduro talking about the protesters, who he said were trained in Texas and Colombia. The video was more about Venezuela’s issues than about Musk.
Musk stirred things up further by challenging Maduro on X. He said, “If I win, he resigns as dictator of Venezuela. If he wins, I give him a free ride to Mars.”
I’m coming for you Maduro! 🚀💣
I will carry you to Gitmo on a donkey 🫏 https://t.co/RB5qltxsYI
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 1, 2024
Musk and Maduro are on opposite sides of a big political divide. Musk is a supporter of capitalism and former President Trump, while Maduro is a socialist with a presidency marked by economic problems and disputed elections.
Maduro has accused Musk of being behind attacks on Venezuela, including alleged hacking at the National Electoral Council (CNE). The CNE’s decision to declare Maduro the winner without giving full results has led to claims of election fraud.
If I win, he resigns as dictator of Venezuela.
If he wins, I give him a free ride to Mars.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 31, 2024
In the past four days, Musk has made over 50 comments about Maduro, criticizing him strongly.
He has called Maduro a “dictator” and accused him of “major election fraud.” Musk has also compared Maduro to a donkey and even suggested he might be up for a hand-to-hand fight with the Venezuelan leader.
Musk’s comments reflect his broader criticism of leftist politics. He is using the controversy over Venezuela’s election to support his view that socialism leads to problems.
Eugenia Mitchelstein, a professor at the University of San Andrés in Buenos Aires, says Musk seems to be using the situation to push his own political agenda.
The United States and other countries have also criticized Venezuela’s election results, which showed Maduro as the winner despite reports of voter intimidation and lack of transparency.
Maduro has hit back at Musk, calling him a “murderer” and accusing him of funding protests in Venezuela.
Musk, who owns X and has more than 192 million followers, has shown interest in Latin American politics before.
He has praised conservative leaders like Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro and Argentina’s Javier Milei. However, he has also been critical of leftist leaders and suggested US intervention in Bolivia in the past.
Despite his strong words, Musk has little to lose financially in Venezuela. Tesla does not operate there, and SpaceX’s Starlink service is not available in the country.
X is used in Venezuela, but it doesn’t have many advertisers from there. Maduro’s X account, with 4.8 million followers, has a blue check mark but not the gray one for government accounts.
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