The Telegraph
Ron DeSantis is wearing height-boosting boots, experts claim
Rozina Sabur – October 31, 2023
Ron DeSantis has been wearing height-boosting boots, experts claim, after Donald Trump reportedly considered nicknaming his Republican presidential rival “Tiny D”.
The Florida governor’s unusual cowboy boots have come under intense online scrutiny in recent weeks, with video analyses of their unusual shape being viewed millions of times.
Some political watchers suspected Mr DeSantis, who is thought to be 5ft 11in, of attempting to increase his height by as much as four inches.
Three experts in shoe adaptations interviewed by Politico tended to agree.
“I’ve dealt with these politicians many times. I’ve helped them with their lifts. [DeSantis] is wearing lifts, there’s no doubt,” Zephan Parker, the bootmaker behind Houston’s bespoke Parker Boot Company, told the news website.
Mr Parker said there were two key clues. The first was that Mr DeSantis appeared to have a shorter than average heel on the black cowboy boots he wore at an event in Tampa, Florida.
Mr Parker said it suggested that the heel had been “cut down” to accommodate shoe inserts.
The second clue was that the top of the boots appeared to be pushing against his trouser legs, suggesting they were “bigger than intended, probably to accommodate his lifts”.
Mr Parker told Politico that most cowboy boots are made to fit snugly, but those adapted to accommodate shoe inserts often have to be sized-up in width which increases all the other measurements on the boot, including the opening at the top.
Another expert, Austin-based Graham Ebner, who trained at one of the country’s best bespoke cowboy bootmakers, gave a similar assessment.
“Three things stick out to me: the instep [where shoelaces usually go], the toe spring and where the ball of his foot is sitting in the boots,” he told Politico.
Mr Ebner said the boot’s pointy end was more pronounced than usual, suggesting Mr DeSantis’ toes didn’t reach to the end.
He added of one photo: “You can see where the ball of his foot is protruding on the right boot.
“It’s a good inch behind where it should be. It should not be in that position unless the heels were being lifted dramatically.”
Mr DeSantis’ campaign has vehemently denied suggestions he is wearing shoes that boost his height.
The Florida governor told the PBD Podcast on Monday that his boots are “just standard, off-the-rack Lucchese boots”.
Meanwhile Bryan Griffin, his press secretary, derided Politico over its piece, adding: “The governor doesn’t pad his boots.”
The reports came after Mr Trump, 77, the frontrunner in the Republican 2024 primary, was rumoured to be mulling over a way to mock Mr DeSantis’ height.
The former president deployed a similar tactic against his 2016 rival Marco Rubio, referring to the 5ft2 Florida senator as “little Marco”.
Mr Trump has claimed he is 6ft 3in, although a copy of his New York driving licence lists the former president’s height at 6ft 2in.
The former president, who enjoys nicknaming his political foes, has already dubbed the 45-year-old Florida governor “DeSanctimonious”.
Reports have suggested he was considering dubbing him “Tiny D”, and Mr Trump has even shared social media posts by users speculating Mr DeSantis’ footwear was adapted.
‘Winning candidates tend to be taller’
While a candidate’s height may be considered low on the criteria for entering the White House, a 2020 analysis by Dr Timothy Judge at Ohio State University found “there is a slight tendency” for winning candidates “to be taller than their opponents”.
There are notable recent exceptions, including Joe Biden, who is at least two inches shorter than Mr Trump, whom he defeated in 2020.
Meanwhile, Nikki Haley has emerged as the leading Republican 2024 rival to Mr Trump after moving into second place in the latest Iowa poll.
The former South Carolina governor, who also served as Mr Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, is now tied with Mr DeSantis on 16 per cent in the state, the first to vote in the Republican nominating contest.
However, the momentum is with Ms Haley, who was a full 10 points behind Mr DeSantis in the same poll in August.
The boost in Iowa comes weeks after a poll in New Hampshire put her in second place with 19 per cent – nine points ahead of Mr DeSantis.
Mr Trump, however, is still dominating the field according to the polls, with the support of 43 per cent of Republicans in Iowa and 49 per cent in New Hampshire.
Ms Haley’s rise has not gone unnoticed by Mr Trump, who has taken to calling his former cabinet member “birdbrain” in campaign appearances.