In the hours following the United States'early morning strike in Venezuelaand capture ofNicolás Maduro, a photo of the Venezuelan leader blindfolded aboard a ship was posted to the social media platform Truth Social byPresident Donald Trump.
That photo has since gone viral, not only for Maduro's subdued appearance but also for his outfit: a gray Nike Tech sweatsuit. Nike Tech fleeces, jackets, pants and sweatsuits have drawn cultural commentary in recent months, with a social media trend inspiring young men to ditch the outerwear style inexchange for quarter-zipsand the perceived sophistication that comes along with the article of clothing.
While the detainment of the country's leader and strikes on the country have been drawn mixed reactionsfrom Venezuelans and people around the world, Maduro's outfit has sparked memes and social media videos.
Nike Tech is 'out' in viral style trend
In November 2025, aviral TikTok videoby user Jason Gymafi declared that young men who want to be respected and feel good about themselves should wear quarter-zips instead of Nike Tech sweaters. Gymafi'squarter-zip video, where he and friend Richard Minor are seen wearing the sweaters and swirling matcha drinks, amassed nearly 30 million views as of Dec. 15.
"We don't do Nike tech. We don't do coffee. It's straight quarter zips and matchas around here," Gymafi says. "He [Minor] was talking about putting on a Nike tech to come outside. I told him, 'What are you doing? You've upgraded in life. You wear glasses now. You wear quarter zips now.'"
That video sparked a movement that saw men meeting up in their best quarter-zips to drink matcha and mingle while denouncing the Nike Tech. That mentality toward the article of clothing is now reflected in the response to Maduro's outfit in the photos of his capture.
'It's a lifestyle':Quarter-zips are having a moment. Here's why
The internet reacts to Maduro's outfit
The term "Nike Tech" saw a spike in searches on Google Saturday morning, Jan. 3,following Trump's poston Truth Social, according to Google Trends.
On TikTok and Instagram, many posts containing the photo of Maduro while captured have comments underneath criticizing the leader's outfit, including, "Why does bro got on Nike tech," and "Bro didn't get the update of quarter zips."
Other posts also reference the leader's outfit, some theorizing that Maduro was intentionally put into the outfit. One TikTok video said the outfit meant he was "just asking to be a meme."
"If he was wearing a quarter-zip, he would still be fine. He'd still be doing his thing. But he wasn't," said TikTok user @brooklyngabby in a video with over 16,000 likes as of Sunday afternoon, Jan. 4. "He was caught slacking, he was in his Nike Tech, he was not in his quarter-zip sweater."
Photos:See reactions after US explosions in Venezuela, Maduro capture
Kate Perez covers national trends and breaking news for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kperez@usatodayco.com or on Twitter @katecperez_.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Nicolás Maduro's outfit in capture photo goes viral on social media
