Marco Rubio is stealing a look from Nicolás Maduro.
Aboard Air Force One on his way to China with President Donald Trump, the secretary of state is rocking the Nike sweatsuit that was worn by Maduro after he U.S. forces arrested him and extradited him to New York to face criminal charges, according to a picture posted by White House official Steven Cheung.
“Secretary Rubio rocking the Nike Tech ‘Venezuela’ on Air Force One!” wrote Cheung.
Secretary Rubio rocking the Nike Tech ‘Venezuela’ on Air Force One! 😂 pic.twitter.com/yi1b1mR8M0
— Steven Cheung (@StevenCheung47) May 12, 2026
The White House immediately posted a video that shows Rubio and Maduro both in the same clothes.
The short clip starts off with Rubio’s now-famous quoting of The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Juicy” on January 3, 2026, saying, “If you don’t know, now you know,” referencing the overnight capture of Maduro.
Then, the video transitions to a cropped photo shared by President Trump on Truth Social showing the blindfolded Venezuelan leader dressed in the gray Nike sweatsuit aboard a U.S. naval warship en route to the United States, his ears covered with noise-canceling headphones. At the very end, the video has straight-faced Rubio donning the same outfit aboard Air Force One.
“Full circle moment,” the White House said on social media.
Full circle moment pic.twitter.com/6hkxyGNo8J
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 12, 2026
“Maduromaxxing,” one X user posted.
“Haters will say it’s AI,” a White House official said.
“Marco Rubio will be next President based on the memes alone,” said another user.
The gray Nike Tech suit became a viral social media meme following Maduro’s capture. The specific Nike Tech suit featured in the Maduro photo carries cultural significance, particularly for younger men in the worlds of rap music and sports.
The morning after Maduro’s capture, Rubio hammered the indicted narco-terrorist and used the moment to reinforce the administration’s messaging.
“I hope what people now understand is we have a president, the 47th president of the United States, is not a game player. When he tells you that he’s going to do something, when he’s going to tell you he’s going to address a problem, he means it,” Rubio said.
“This is a president of action, like, I don’t understand yet how they haven’t figured this out. And now, if you don’t know, now you know, because this is the way it’s going to play out,” he added.
🚨 HOLY SMOKES. Marco Rubio LAYS THE HAMMER on Maduro – and warns the entire world
“He likes to PLAY GAMES and thinks NOTHING WILL HAPPEN. I hope people understand President Trump is NOT A GAME PLAYER!”
“He wanted to play BIG BOY?”
“IF YOU DON’T KNOW, NOW YOU KNOW.”
🔥🔥🔥🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/MS8lWsaAvL— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 3, 2026
