According to sources, President Donald Trump has been gifting Florsheim dress shoes to male allies in his administration. The shoes cost about $145 per pair. The practice began after Trump criticized the shoes of Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio during an Oval Office meeting in December.
Trump asked for their shoe sizes after the criticism. Vance reported his shoe size as 13. 5.
A viral photo shows Rubio's shoes appearing too large, with a noticeable heel gap. Social media speculation suggests that Rubio and others exaggerated their shoe sizes to impress Trump. The White House claims Trump personally pays for the shoes.
An aide orders the shoes after Trump guesses sizes in person. Recipients include Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung, Fox News personalities Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson, Senator Lindsey Graham, and White House deputy Chief of Staff James Blair. Some recipients feel obliged to wear the shoes.
One female White House official called the practice 'hysterical'. Cabinet secretaries complain about swapping luxury brands like Louis Vuitton for Florsheim. Trump reportedly developed an affinity for Florsheim shoes late last year for comfort.
Florsheim was founded in 1892. Florsheim has historical significance, having outfitted American soldiers and been worn by figures like President Harry Truman and Michael Jackson. , a fifth-generation family member, declined to comment on Trump's orders.
Some details are based on anecdotes or unnamed officials. Sources report a contradiction regarding the shoe size of an unnamed third politician, with one source citing a size 6 and another a size 7. The total cost to Trump for all the gifted shoes is not publicly known, nor is the exact number of pairs he has distributed.
The practice appears limited to male allies, with no reports of female recipients to date, though this has not been explicitly confirmed. Trump's specific reasons for favoring Florsheim shoes, beyond general comfort, are unclear. The gifting process involves Trump guessing shoe sizes during in-person interactions, after which an aide places the orders.
Reports of cabinet secretaries grumbling about replacing luxury brands with Florsheim highlight tension over personal style. The viral photo of Rubio's ill-fitting shoes has amplified public scrutiny, fueling theories about size inflation. Despite the White House's assertion that Trump pays for the shoes personally, the broader financial implications and scale of the gifting remain opaque.