The Huffington Post
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima on January 3, 2026. (Photo by Donald Trump Truth Social/Anadolu via Getty Images) After helping mastermind Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s capture earlier this year, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is now stealing his look. Photographed wearing a grey Nike sweatsuit while en route to China on Air Force One on Tuesday, President Donald Trump’s top diplomat appeared to be done up in the same duds Maduro was donning when he was seen in U.S. custody back in January. Rubio, who is rarely seen in anything less formal than a suit and tie, seemed to be making some sort of statement by cosplaying as the deposed socialist, whom the secretary lambasted as a drug trafficker and illegitimate leader following his arrest. Secretary Rubio rocking the Nike Tech ‘Venezuela’ on Air Force One! pic.twitter.com/yi1b1mR8M0 — Steven Cheung (@StevenCheung47) May 12, 2026 White House Communications Director Steven Cheung all but confirmed that Rubio was trolling when he posted the ‘fit pic on X, writing, “Secretary Rubio rocking the Nike Tech ‘Venezuela’ on Air Force One!” Online, some suspected Rubio’s getup was meant to needle leaders in China, a close economic and diplomatic ally of Venezuela, which fiercely condemned Maduro’s capture as a “shocking” violation of international law. Rubio, the son of Cuban expats and an ardent anticommunist, has a less-than-chummy relationship with China. A screenshot of a Truth Social post by President Donald Trump showing deposed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in U.S. custody. After criticizing the nation’s human rights record and its treatment of protesters in Hong Kong during his time as a US senator, Chinese leaders banned him from entering the country. While Chinese sanctions against Rubio still remain in place, Beijing engineered a clever linguistic loophole to allow his travel once he was sworn in as secretary of state last January, according to a report from The Guardian. After he took office, the government of the People’s Republic of China changed the characters it used to spell his last name in official documents, leaving the embargo linked to the lettering that is no longer used. Subscribe to Commons People , the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster. Related... Rubio Reveals Trump's New Goal For Iran War: Getting Everything 'Back To The Way It Was' 'Mind-Bending Sign Of The Times': DJ Marco Rubio Pumps Up The Jam As Iran War Marches On Marco Rubio Weighs In On Fears US Could Back Argentina's Falklands Claim
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