World leaders appear to be trading in their suits for “groutfits” in 2026.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio poked fun at former Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro by donning an all-gray Nike tracksuit of his own on Air Force One as President Donald Trump travels to China for a meeting with its president, Xi Jinping. Maduro wore the getup in his blindfolded photograph as he was being transported back to the United States by plane after his capture in January 2026.
“Secretary Rubio rocking the Nike Tech ‘Venezuela’ on Air Force One!” White House communications director Steven Cheung posted on X Tuesday with a picture of the secretary.
Secretary Rubio rocking the Nike Tech ‘Venezuela’ on Air Force One!
pic.twitter.com/yi1b1mR8M0
— Steven Cheung (@StevenCheung47) May 12, 2026
In the background of the infamous Maduro sweatsuit photo, U.S. federal prosecutors charged Maduro with a comprehensive drug trafficking indictment, unsealed just after he touched down in the U.S. The federal government recently adjusted its sanctions on Venezuela to allow Caracas to pay Maduro’s legal fees as he undergoes his legal proceedings in the U.S.
TRUMP SAYS HE’S ‘SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING’ MAKING VENEZUELA THE 51ST STATE
Rubio’s parody image comes one day after Trump announced he was “seriously considering” making Venezuela the 51st state. Trump floated the idea again on Tuesday evening, posting an image on Truth Social of Venezuela covered with the American flag, captioned “51st State.”
Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez said earlier in May that she did not know when the country’s next presidential elections would be, telling the New York Times they would happen in “some time.” Free and fair elections have been a hinge point of American foreign policy aims in Venezuela for years.
