Presidential candidates Donald Trump and Nikki Haley have both knocked Republican rival Ron DeSantis in recent days for allegedly wearing high heels, accusing the Florida governor of artificially boosting his height.
Haley — the former South Carolina governor and the only woman in the 2024 race — was asked Wednesday night by “The Daily Show” guest host Charlamagne tha God if she was going to wear heels so she can tower over DeSantis at the third GOP debate next week in Miami.
“I don’t know. We’ll have to figure that out,” Haley replied. “I can tell you I’ve always talked about my high heels. I’ve never hid that from anybody. I’ve always said, ‘Don’t wear ’em if you can’t run in ’em,’ so we’ll see if he can run in ’em.”
In early October, Trump, 77, posted a triptych image of DeSantis and his footwear during a September appearance on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” to Truth Social.
“Tell me he’s not wearing hidden heels,” a caption read.
Trump’s super PAC, Make America Great Again Inc., also trolled DeSantis Wednesday by announcing it would send him a pair of Puerto Rican-themed boots as an early Christmas present, accusing him of supporting statehood for the US island territory.
The $99 boots were adorned with a red, white, and blue Puerto Rican flag motif, as well as a prominent heel.
“America knows Ron DeSantis loves boots (with lifts inside of them) and Puerto Rican statehood, so we couldn’t think of a better early Christmas gift to the governor than a pair of Puerto Rican flag boots,” MAGA Inc. spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told the Daily Mail.
DeSantis has denied any shoe shenanigans, telling businessman and podcast host Patrick Bet-David on Monday night that he favors “standard, off-the-rack Lucchese” black boots at most of his campaign appearances.
The former college baseball player also gave his height as 5 feet 11 inches, as listed on Yale University’s 2001 varsity roster.
However, three makers of fine footwear told Politico they suspected the 45-year-old governor was in fact getting help gaining a few extra inches.
“I’ve dealt with these politicians many times,” Zephan Parker, of Houston-based Parker Boot Company, told the outlet. “I’ve helped them with their lifts. [DeSantis] is wearing lifts; there’s no doubt.”
As evidence, the bootmakers noted images that show the tops of DeSantis’ boots pushing against his pant legs — as well as shorter-than-usual heels for a traditional Western boot.
“On a ready-made boot, they’ll cut down the heel about half an inch to accommodate the lifts, which looks to be what happened here,” Parker told Politico, adding of the governor: “He looks like he’s wearing trousers with an eight-inch opening, which is plenty of room for a Western boot on a man of his proportions … the boots are bigger than intended, probably to accommodate his lifts.”
