Gov. Ron DeSantis is off the presidential campaign trail, but at least one national storyline followed him home.
And apparently, it did so in platform shoes.
As noticed by The Advocate, a reporter asked the Governor why he opposes so-called gender affirming care but was more indulgent toward his own “height identity.”
“You have spoken out against the ‘woke’ agenda of gender fluidity and also come out against gender-affirming care. So I was hoping you could square your opposition to (gender affirming care) and people choosing their own gender identity with your frequent wearing of lifts and you hoping to choose your own height identity.”
“Nice try,” laughed DeSantis. “Next?”
The issue of whether DeSantis wears shoes that give him a couple of more inches vertically improbably became a trope in his travels last year, in which he was asked about his footwear.
The Governor told PBT Podcast listeners in October that he was wearing “standard off the rack Lucchese” boots. He said that because he is just 1 inch shy of 6 feet tall, he doesn’t need extra height from footwear.
Asked why he simply doesn’t wear dress shoes or tennis shoes, the Governor said he does in fact “wear tennis shoes when (working) out.”
The host offered him a pair of Ferragamos, presumably without extra height, and DeSantis noted that he can’t accept gifts.
Former President Donald Trump has mocked the height-helper footwear on Truth Social, and a former staffer reportedly blamed the First Lady for his ballyhooed boots, saying she bought him those “dumb@$$ cowboy boots because she thought it was part of the image.”
The Advocate previously summed up the optics problem, saying “people have been calling out the way the toes of the presidential hopeful’s shoes frequently seem to curl up, which doesn’t really make much sense if there’s actually a human foot residing in that portion of the shoe.”
DeSantis has branched out into other boots as well, including some kicks fashioned from alligator hide that he has worn in recent months. He’s told people that they helped him navigate the treacherous waters of the sports rivalry between the University of Florida and Florida State University.
“These are authentic Florida Gator boots. Now, the good thing about these is that Florida Gator fans love it because it’s the Gators. But, you know, Seminole fans also like it because someone had to kill a Gator to make those boots,” DeSantis said last fall in Washington, D.C. “So that’s the only way I found to be able to please both sides.”
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