Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro now joins the expanding roster of foreign leaders with whom tech billionaire Elon Musk has clashed.
After Maduro and his rivals declared victories in Venezuela’s presidential election, the owner of X rushed to social media to accuse the self-declared socialist leader of “major election fraud.”
“Shame on Dictator Maduro,” Musk stated on Monday.
Officials postponed the release of the detailed vote counts from Sunday’s election after declaring Maduro the winner with 51% of the vote, versus 44% for retired diplomat Edmundo González. These conflicting claims have led to a high-stakes confrontation.
The opposition placed its trust in the voting booth after three rounds of protests in 2014 failed to remove Maduro. With hopes that violence could be prevented and 25 years of one-party rule in Venezuela ended, the elections were among the calmest in recent memory.
Moreover, Musk retweeted a statement made about X by his “friend,” President Javier Milei of Argentina. Milei stated, “After years of socialism, misery, decadence, and death, the numbers announced a landslide opposition by the victory, and the world is waiting for the government to acknowledge defeat.”
In response to Musk’s social media posts, Maduro swiftly declared that the billionaire posed a threat to Venezuela.
Maduro described him as a symbol of fascist ideology, anti-natural, and anti-society.
“Elon Musk is acting out of desperation; he needs to control himself,” he cautioned. “Anyone who meddles with me will face consequences.”
Musk has already conflicted with foreign governments. The self-described “free speech absolutist” and a justice of the Brazilian Supreme Court argued earlier this year about far-right accounts, free expression, and alleged misinformation on X, formerly Twitter. After repurchasing Twitter in 2022, Musk reversed several of the social media company’s policies and let go of the vast majority of its employees.
Regarding Venezuela’s election, global leaders have voiced concerns about the results, with many calling for transparency in the vote count.