US Secretary of State Marco Rubio temporarily set aside his official suit and appeared wearing a gray Nike tracksuit aboard Air Force One, sparking an explosion of comments on social media. This particular appearance immediately caught attention, as the tracksuit was identical to the one worn by Nicolás Maduro during his arrest by US special forces in Caracas on January 3. Rubio was traveling with US President Donald Trump for the highly symbolic meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing when he was photographed smiling inside the presidential aircraft wearing the now-viral tracksuit.
The photo was published on social media by White House communications director Steven Cheung, who wrote characteristically: “Secretary Rubio wearing Nike Tech ‘Venezuela’ on Air Force One!”
Marco Rubio made a major fashion statement on Air Force One.
The Secretary of State spotted on the president's plane in the now-infamous gray Nike Tech tracksuit associated with Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
Maduro was seen wearing a strikingly similar outfit during his… pic.twitter.com/ASoiKuGugf
— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 13, 2026
Second time Rubio goes viral, days after serving as wedding DJ
Rubio appeared expressionless, with his hands in his pockets, wearing the gray athletic tracksuit that was heavily commented on due to its similarity to the one worn by the Venezuelan president in images of his arrest. The photo has gone viral, prompting numerous comments from social media users. This marks the second time in just a few weeks that Rubio has gone viral on social media, as earlier this month he again drew attention after a video was published showing him serving as a DJ at a wedding.
