Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has just announced a 10-day ban on X (formerly Twitter) following a fiery clash with tech mogul Elon Musk. The feud erupted after Musk accused Maduro of election fraud and called him a dictator, sparking a dramatic response from the Venezuelan leader. Maduro claims Musk is a product of the Pentagon and is fueling hatred and violence in Venezuela and even challenged him to a fistfight, which Musk mockingly accepted. Amid the online drama, Maduro is also cracking down on other social media platforms like WhatsApp, TikTok, and Instagram, alleging they’re being used to spy on and threaten his country. In a fiery televised speech, Maduro deleted WhatsApp from his phone for plotting against Venezuela.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has decided to temporarily block X (formerly Twitter) in Venezuela. This move comes after a heated argument with X’s CEO, Elon Musk, who has accused Maduro of cheating in the recent election.
In a speech broadcast on TV, Maduro accused Musk of stirring up hatred and violence in Venezuela and breaking national laws. He announced that he had signed a resolution from the National Commission of Telecommunications to ban X for ten days. Maduro stated in a separate post on X that he wanted to end any plans to spread violence and hatred from abroad.
Musk, known for his provocative comments, responded on X by jokingly saying he would “singe Maduro’s mustache from space.”
The conflict began after last month’s Venezuelan presidential election, where Maduro was declared the winner. According to Venezuela’s election officials, Maduro won about 52% of the vote, while his rival, Edmundo Gonzalez, received 43%. The opposition and some countries, including the US, disputed the results and did not recognize Maduro’s victory. However, countries like China and Russia congratulated Maduro.
Musk supported the critics of Maduro, calling him a “dictator” and accusing him of significant election fraud. Musk’s comments led to a strong reaction from Maduro, who accused Musk of attempting a coup and even challenged him to a fistfight, which Musk agreed to.
In addition to blocking X, Maduro said he had removed WhatsApp from his phone, claiming it was being used to threaten Venezuela and spy on its people. He also accused TikTok and Instagram of spreading hate and promised to regulate their use.
In 2020, GreatGameInternational reported how Venezuelan intelligence had crushed a secret plot to overthrow President Nicolás Maduro funded by US billionaires and organized by the former security chief of British billionaire Richard Branson, an ex-Green Beret running the private security firm Silvercorp USA, in Florida. The coup followed Maduro’s announcement that Venezuela will sue the US in International Criminal Court (ICC) for severe damage caused by the economic sanctions – the sanctions that an India-Russia partnership helped Venezuela to bypass. Now, the federal investigators have found former U.S. Green Beret Jordan Goudreau’s DNA on assault rifles smuggled from the U.S. to South America.
In an earlier GGI intel report, we examined the chain of events and the Secret Gold War that led to the chaos in Venezuela now. Amidst this pressure, Maduro is turning to the BRICS nations—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—as crucial allies to boost Venezuela’s oil, gas, and metals industries. With U.S. investments waning, Maduro sees BRICS as the key to reviving Venezuela’s economy and possibly securing a powerful new partnership.
Maduro is set to begin his third consecutive six-year term as president. He first came into office in 2013 after the death of President Hugo Chavez. His previous reelection in 2018 was also rejected by the US, the EU, and several Latin American countries.
