Marco Rubio Models Ultimate Bonkers Cosplay in Air Force One Pic
The Secretary of State traded one runway for another.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio made a bizarre fashion statement aboard Air Force One on Tuesday.
Joining the president for his visit to China despite being sanctioned by the government, Rubio was among other senior members of the Trump administration on the flight to Beijing.
Having boarded the plane at Joint Base Andrews in a suit, Rubio changed once on board, with White House Communications Director Steven Cheung generously sharing the results with the world.
“Secretary Rubio rocking the Nike Tech ‘Venezuela’ on Air Force One!” Cheung wrote on X. Attached was a photo of Rubio in a Nike tracksuit, identical to the one worn by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro when he was captured and transported to the U.S. in January.
The tracksuit Rubio wore on Tuesday is identical to the one worn by Maduro when he was captured.
Steven Cheung/X
Maduro was captured by the U.S. in January.
Anadolu/Anadolu via Getty Images
The official White House X account then followed Cheung’s post with a video, set to Notorious B.I.G.’s “Hypnotize,” featuring photos of Rubio and Maduro in their matching tracksuits. The video opens with Rubio saying, “Now, if you don’t know, now you know,” at a January press conference; in his debut single, “Juicy,” Notorious B.I.G. sings the line, “And if you don’t know, now you know.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to the State Department and White House for comment.
U.S. forces captured Maduro and his wife in a late-night attack on their compound in Caracas, Venezuela, striking several other sites around the country at the same time.
Jesus Vargas/Jesus Vargas/Getty Images
Some social media users were quick to note that another member of Trump’s Cabinet had complained in November last year about people dressing “like they’re going to bed” while traveling.
Sign Up for The Swamp Newsletter
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called for a return to “civility” when traveling, bemoaning the fact that, “If you just watch social media, you have brawls at the baggage claim, you have passengers berating gate agents. We have unruly passengers on airplanes. People dress up like they’re going to bed when they fly.”
“I see people getting on airplanes and they’re having a hard time taking their luggage and getting in the oversize or the above bin,” he continued. “Help people out, be nice, be courteous. And so we want to push people, as we come into a really busy travel season: Help people out, be in a good mood, dress up, bring civility back to travel. And I think everyone’s experience is going to be that much better.”
Rubio and Trump were joined aboard Air Force One by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, former DOGE head and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Fox News host Sean Hannity, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, as well as Eric Trump and his wife, Lara.
In a Tuesday evening Truth Social post, the president noted that other CEOs, including Apple’s Tim Cook, Blackrock’s Larry Fink and Blackstone’s Stephen Schwarzman would also be joining him on the trip.
Disgraced Melania director and known Epstein associate Brett Ratner was also on board Air Force One on Tuesday, and is said to be scouting locations for Rush Hour 4. Trump reportedly pressured Paramount owner Larry Ellison to finance a revival of the buddy-cop franchise.
The trip marks the first time a U.S. president has visited China in almost nine years, with the previous visit taking place during Trump’s first term in November 2017.
The visit will include talks, a banquet, and a visit to the Temple of Heaven. Trump has invited multiple CEOs and trade delegates to join him in China.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping react as they hold a bilateral meeting at Gimhae International Airport, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, in Busan, South Korea, October 30, 2025.
Evelyn Hockstein/REUTERS
While he told reporters on Tuesday that he would have a “long talk” about Iran with Chinese President Xi Jinping, he added that he didn’t expect it to be a major focus of their talks.
“I wouldn’t say Iran is one of them, to be honest with you, because we have Iran very much under control,” Trump said.
The 79-year-old described Xi as “a friend” and someone he gets along with, telling reporters, “I think you’re going to see that good things are going to happen.”
Trump last met with Xi in October 2025 at the APEC summit in Busan, South Korea, where they extended a truce in Trump’s ongoing tariff war.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
- Account (completed)
- Payment (completed)
- Confirmation (completed)
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
- 1Account
- 2Payment
- 3Confirmation
Sign in or create an account
Login dialog
Loading comments…