Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is challenging Elon Musk to a fight following the latter’s criticism of Venezuela’s recent presidential election. Musk, using his social media platform X, called the election a “travesty” and accused Maduro’s government of “major election fraud.”

The controversy stems from Sunday’s Venezuelan elections, where Maduro claimed victory with 51% of the vote against opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez’s 44%. However, these results have been widely contested by opposition groups and international observers.

Musk’s criticism included sharing voting percentages that he claimed demonstrated clear fraud. He also amplified statements from Argentine President Javier Milei, who expressed hope that Venezuela’s armed forces would “defend democracy and the popular will.”

In response to Musk’s allegations, Maduro took to national television, labeling the tech entrepreneur as Venezuela’s “new archenemy.” In an unexpected turn, Maduro challenged Musk to a physical confrontation, stating he was “ready” and unafraid.

The Venezuelan leader’s reaction has added a bizarre twist to an already contentious situation. Maduro went on to accuse Musk of harboring intentions to invade Venezuela with rockets and an army.

Some observers say that these actions are part of Musk’s campaigning for former President Donald Trump. Many Trump allies, now including Musk, have been pushing the narrative that Venezuela’s presidential election was rigged the same way they claim the 2020 election was rigged, and that the same thing is bound to happen if this year’s election does not favor Trump. 

Trump’s 2020 election claims have been disproven many times over and he has been indicted for election interference in Georgia. By attacking Maduro, Musk is using his platform to boost the false narrative. Case in point:

This tactic isn’t new either. In 2020 former Trump lawyer Sidney Powell falsely claimed that “widely used voting machines from the election technology company Dominion Voting Systems featured software created ‘at the direction’ of former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to swing his own election results, and that the company has ties to the Clinton Foundation and Soros.”

Dominion Voting Systems filed a defamation lawsuit against Powell for these claims. 

It can also be recalled that Powell was among those accused in the Georgia election interference case who pleaded guilty. Along with Trump and 16 others, she was charged over efforts to overturn the former president’s loss in the state.

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