As reactions continue to pour in after Sunday's controversial election results in Venezuela, where President Nicolás Maduro claimed victory amid a lack of transparency regarding the results, Elon Musk is among those who gave his point of view, linking the situation with the upcoming elections in the U.S.
Concretely, he said that should Kamala Harris be elected as the next president in November, the country would follow the same authoritarian path as the South American nation.
The claim was made in response to an X user who shared a tweet by the vice president stating her support of free elections in Venezuela and urging the authorities to respect "the will of the Venezuelan people".
The user republished Harris' post with a caption that read: "The United States will become Venezuela if Trump is not elected," to which Musk replied: "I think the risk of this is very real."
I think the risk of this is very real https://t.co/aCb3NNO3mp
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 29, 2024
On the eve of Sunday's election, Musk had openly expressed his support for opposition leader María Corina Machado, the camp's virtual leader despite not being allowed to run, by stating that "it is time for the people of Venezuela to have the chance for a better future" and asking followers to "Support Maria Corina!." The message was accompanied by a publication from Machado herself, which recounted a conversation with Argentine president Javier Milei and his support of her campaign during the last months:
It is time for the people of Venezuela to have the chance for a better future.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 27, 2024
Support Maria Corina! https://t.co/d122luXBbk
Musk also kept a close eye on the elections as they unfolded on Sunday, posting a tweet from Milei with the caption "Shame on Dictator Maduro" after the results were revealed and then another tweet with exit polls denouncing the results with the caption "What a travesty."
Musk has been building relations with like-minded politicians from all over the world as of late. Besides Machado, he is known to have cordial relations with the aforementioned Milei in Argentina, Javier Bolsonaro in Brazil and India's Narendra Modi.
According to a recent report by The New York Times, this outreach "is part of a pattern by Mr. Musk of fostering relationships with a constellation of right-wing heads of state, with clear beneficiaries: his companies and himself":
Mr. Musk, in turn, has pushed for and won corporate advantages for his most lucrative businesses, Tesla and SpaceX, according to an examination by The New York Times. In India, he secured lower import tariffs for Tesla's vehicles. In Brazil, he opened a major new market for Starlink, SpaceX's satellite internet service. In Argentina, he solidified access to the mineral most crucial to Tesla's batteries.
Venezuela continues to be immersed in uncertainty as the government-friendly electoral council has not given any additional updates following the announcement that Maduro had won after 80% of the votes had been tallied. Several governments from around the world have express caution or outright rejection of the results, while a series of long-term allies like Bolivia, Cuba and Russia were quick to congratulate Maduro.
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