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Trump Shares Maduro in Rubio’s Nike Tracksuit, Sparks Meme

5/13/2026

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Summary

Story summary

White House officials framed Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s gray Nike Tech tracksuit as a “full-circle moment,” sparking a viral meme on X.
The meme boosted Nike Tech tracksuit sales earlier this year.
President Donald Trump later posted a photo of a blindfolded Nicolás Maduro in the same suit, captioned “51st State,” which drew over 1.4 million views, 1,200 comments and 18 000 likes.
Fact-checkers confirmed the photograph was authentic.

History

Historical Context

In 2008 Shepard Fairey’s “Hope” poster of Barack Obama, shared online and printed on over one million stickers, became a viral campaign symbol and was acquired by the Smithsonian in January 2009. Today the White House’s framing of Marco Rubio’s Nike tracksuit sparked a viral X meme echoed by Donald Trump’s Maduro photo, illustrating how apparel imagery now fuels partisan narratives.

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Story summary

White House officials framed Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s gray Nike Tech tracksuit as a “full-circle moment,” sparking a viral meme on X.
The meme boosted Nike Tech tracksuit sales earlier this year.
President Donald Trump later posted a photo of a blindfolded Nicolás Maduro in the same suit, captioned “51st State,” which drew over 1.4 million views, 1,200 comments and 18 000 likes.
Fact-checkers confirmed the photograph was authentic.

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