Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whose recent claim to electoral victory has been widely contested, escalated his war of words with Tesla CEO Elon Musk by challenging the billionaire to a “fight” on national television. This challenge follows a series of heated exchanges online amid the ongoing political turmoil in Venezuela.

“Elon Musk. Whoever messes with me, dries up. Whoever messes with Venezuela dries up, Elon Musk. You want to fight? Let’s have it, Elon Musk. I’m ready… I am not afraid of you. Let’s go at it, wherever you want… Just say where,” Maduro declared on Wednesday.

The confrontation intensified after top US diplomat for Latin America stated that Maduro had overwhelmingly lost the election to opponent Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia. This endorsement was based on vote tallies released by the opposition, as Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) has yet to provide a detailed vote breakdown supporting Maduro’s victory in the July 28 election, despite international pressure to do so.

Musk, who has been a vocal critic of Maduro’s policies on social media platform X, responded to the election results by labeling Maduro a “dictator” and a “travesty.” Prior to the election, Musk expressed support for opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who was barred from running against Maduro, tweeting, “It is time for the people of Venezuela to have the chance for a better future. Support Maria Corina!”

Following the announcement of the contested results, Musk intensified his criticism, tweeting: “Shame on Dictator Maduro” and “What a travesty.” He also shared a 2020 announcement from the US Drug Enforcement Administration of criminal charges against Maduro for drug trafficking, accompanied by a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest. These posts incited further outrage from Maduro.

In response, Maduro accused Musk of plotting an invasion of Venezuela, saying, “He wants to come here with his guns and an army to invade Venezuela. Elon Musk, good thing you showed your face because we knew you were behind it all! With your money and your satellites.”

Maduro continued, “He wants to control the world, he already controls Argentina… You want to fight? Elon Musk, I am ready. I am the son of Bolivar and Chavez, I’m not afraid of you, Elon Musk… The people defeated Elon Musk’s bots, we defeated Elon Musk’s bots!”

Musk retorted in Spanish, “An ass knows more than Maduro,” later apologizing to the animal kingdom for the comparison.

The animosity between Maduro and Musk has been growing, with Maduro recently accusing Musk of orchestrating “attacks against Venezuela” and alleging his involvement in a purported “computer hacking” of the CNE. On Tuesday, Maduro announced the formation of a special committee, with support from Russian and Chinese experts, to investigate the nation’s biosecurity and the alleged hacking incident.

Opposition figures and observers, however, remain skeptical, suggesting that the authorities might have self-sabotaged the system to avoid revealing the true election results. Independent polls prior to the election showed Maduro trailing Urrutia.

Addressing supporters from his balcony, Maduro reiterated his accusations against Musk, claiming Venezuela faced “domestic and international aggression from world powers” and accusing Musk of being part of a “global alliance of the far right, the fascist far right, drug traffickers, Elon Musk and the imperialist US government.”

“All those who come after Venezuela, we will eliminate them,” Maduro warned, as the political crisis in Caracas continues to unfold.