Former President Donald Trump suggested that he might flee the country for safety reasons if he loses the 2024 election.
During an interview Monday night with tech mogul Elon Musk, Trump said he could travel to Venezuela if he doesn’t win because it is “far safer” than the U.S.
“If something happens with this election, which would be a horror show, we’ll meet the next time in Venezuela because it’ll be a far safer place to meet than our country, OK?” Trump told Musk.
Whether Trump would actually leave the country if he loses was not stated specifically during the interview.
Trump, 78, said crime is on the rise in the U.S. and is declining in the South American country of Venezuela, which is dealing with the fallout of a contested election. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro claimed he won re-election more than two weeks ago, but the U.S. and other Western countries have condemned voting fraud in the disputed contest.
In March, Musk said he wouldn’t back either Trump or President Joe Biden. That was before a gunman tried to assassinate Trump in July and before Biden dropped out the race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris.
The billionaire businessman previously said that he wouldn’t donate to anyone seeking the U.S. presidency in 2024.
“Just to be super clear, I am not donating money to either candidate for US President,” Musk wrote on X at the time.