The White House received a necessary reminder about Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's remarks about travel attire after Communications Director Steven Cheung shared a photo of Secretary of State Marco Rubio wearing a tracksuit aboard Air Force One to mock the outfit ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was wearing during his arrest in January.
Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were abducted by U.S. special forces during an early morning raid on January 3 that was accompanied by strikes on Venezuela after months of attacks on small boats the Trump administration accused of being involved in drug smuggling operations.
Shortly after the capture, President Donald Trump shared an image showing Maduro blindfolded and handcuffed aboard the USS Iwo Jima, holding a bottle of water while dressed in a gray tracksuit.
You can see it below.
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social
Cheung decided to mock Maduro by sharing a photo of Rubio wearing a grey Nike Tech tracksuit aboard Air Force One.
In the photo, Rubio is seen leaning against a wall with his hands tucked into the pockets of his tracksuit while Fox News appeared to be playing on a television in the background.
Cheung remarked:
"Secretary Rubio rocking the Nike Tech ‘Venezuela’ on Air Force One!"
You can see the post and the photo below.
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Cheung's post came several months after Duffy made headlines for speaking out about air travel etiquette and not wearing pajamas or taking your shoes off on an airplane.
Duffy, who appeared at Newark International Airport in New Jersey, to discuss his efforts to “restore courtesy and class to air travel," argued that air travel would be a better experience for all if people took more pride in their appearance on flights.
He said he "would encourage people to maybe dress a little better, which encourages us to maybe behave a little better." He said people shouldn't wear slippers or pajamas or take their shoes off on airplanes in order to be "cognizant and courteous" to others around them.
However, once clips of his remarks went viral, critics pointed out that none of his suggestions actually address the problems surrounding travel delays and airport security that passengers are actually concerned about.
California Governor Gavin Newsom got the ball rolling with this remark directed at Duffy:
"Hey Sean. We found someone breaking your “fly dressed nice” rule."
You can see his post below.
Cheung and the White House were swiftly called out.
This sure sounds like a classic example of "rules for thee, not for me."
Don't expect the Trump administration to follow the rules its members want to set for everyone else.
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