Florida governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis choice of footwear is making headlines once again, this time about whether he wears height boosting cowboy boots to appear taller.
This question has resulted in so much online chatter that DeSantis was pressed to address it during an appearance on the PBD podcast last week.
He told host Patrick Bet-David that the boots he is seen wearing at campaign stops are “standard off-the-rack Lucchese” boots.
But, three expert shoemakers all agree that is not the case and DeSantis is in fact wearing height boosters.
Zephan Parker, the bootmaker behind Houston-based Parker Boot Company told Politico that one dead giveaway is DeSantis’ boots’ top.
The shoemaker explained that cowboy boots are made to fit snugly and such a fit leave very little room for a lift so people who wear lifts have to size up in width. As a result, all the other measurements are thrown off including the circumference at the top of the boot. Parker pointed to a photo of DeSantis at a campaign event in Tampa.
“He looks like he’s wearing trousers with an eight inch opening which is plenty of room for a man his proportions” Parker explained. The fact that the top of the boot push against his trouser legs suggest “the boots are bigger than intended to accommodate a lift.”
What is Ron DeSantis height?
According to the Yale baseball team roster and DeSantis himself, he is 5’11”.
At that height, DeSantis is a good two inches taller than the average American. So, why does he wear lifts and feel the need to lie about it?.
It’s pretty clear that DeSantis is insecure about his height and he might not want to give his 6’3″ opponent with a penchant for nicknames more ammunition to use against him in the GOP primary.
But, there might be another factor at play here— Americans like tall presidents. A shorter than average person hasn’t been elected president since William McKinley in 1896. And every president since Jimmy Carter has been at least 6’0 or taller, according to Slate.
Ronald Reagan was above average height at 6’1″, while George HW Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama are 6’2″. Incumbent president Joe Biden is 6’0 as is George W. Bush. Trump is 6’3″.
