Rubio Boards Air Force One in Maduro's Arrest Tracksuit - and the White House Can't Stop Laughing
Rubio showed up wearing a sleek gray Nike Tech Fleece tracksuit. Sounds casual? Not when it’s the exact same model Nicolas Maduro was wearing the moment U.S. forces dramatically arrested him in Caracas on January 3.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has sparked a viral social media storm after appearing in a gray Nike Tech Fleece tracksuit, the exact same model worn by former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro during his arrest.
The photograph was taken aboard Air Force One on Wednesday as Rubio traveled with President Donald Trump to Beijing for diplomatic meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung shared the official image on X, adding the caption: “The Secretary is showing off the Nike Tech ‘Venezuela’!” accompanied by a laughing emoji.
The choice of outfit is being widely interpreted as a deliberate political statement. Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants and a longtime vocal critic of the Maduro regime, has frequently called the Venezuelan leader illegitimate.
Maduro was wearing the identical gray Nike tracksuit when U.S. forces arrested him in Caracas on January 3. Since then, the image has become a global meme symbolizing the former strongman’s fall from power.
The photo quickly went viral, with users posting side-by-side comparisons and praising what many are calling a calculated and humorous diplomatic jab.
No official comment has been issued by the State Department.