Extract from The New Daily
Source: LateNighter
US President Donald Trump has apparently been on a gifting spree for his top advisers – with some rather perplexing results.
For the past few months, Trump has been gifting senior cabinet members and political allies pairs of his favourite dress shoes, according to reports in The Wall Street Journal last week.
The shiny black lace-ups are from American brand Florsheim and reportedly cost just $US145 ($A203) a pair. According to the newspaper, Trump is – er – footing the bill himself.
“All the boys have them,” one female White House staffer told the Journal.
It’s true. Recent photos show Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff all lined up in the same shoes.
“It’s hysterical because everybody’s afraid not to wear them,” another female official said.
The hilarity comes because Trump apparently doesn’t feel the need to ask people what size shoe they wear before handing over the gift.
“He asks an aide to put in an order and, a week later, a brown Florsheim box arrives at the White House. Trump sometimes signs the box or attaches a note of gratitude, according to people familiar with the ritual,” the Journal reported.
Recent photos, however, show that Trump’s eye might be slightly off. An image of Rubio went viral this week showing him seemingly wearing loose Florsheim dress shoes with a large gap between his heel and the back of the shoe.
“Hysterical,” late night TV show host Stephen Colbert said this week.
“Just like that classic joke: Knock, knock. Who’s there? It’s the man who checks the shoes. I see you’re not wearing them. Get in the van.”
Colbert also called out other members of the administration – “or, as they’re collectively known, Trump’s wet little shoe cucks” – who had been noticeable by their footwear. He saved special mention for Vance and, particularly, Rubio – who he said looked like a kid trying on his father’s shoes “to pretend to be secretary of big boys”.
“Take a look at JD Vance and Marco Rubio’s itty bitty ankles drowning in their giant clown shoes,” Colbert said.
Vance, Rubio and Pete Hegseth at an Oval Office meeting with Trump in February. Photo: TND/AAP
Rubio and Vance were reportedly gifted their Florsheims back in December – after a meeting where Trump got bored.
Vance told right-wing commentator Benny Johnson that he, Trump, Rubio and another unnamed politician were discussing a serious policy issue — until Trump abruptly shifted the conversation.
“The President kind of holds up his hand and says, ‘No, no, no, hold on a second. There’s something much more important. Shoes’,” Vance said.
Trump then “peers over the Resolute Desk” and declares: “Marco, JD, you guys have s–ty shoes. We gotta get you better shoes.”
Trump then apparently asked the men in the room for their shoe sizes. Vance said one said “seven”, at which Trump apparently “leaned back in his chair”.
“You know you can tell a lot about a man by his shoe size,” he said, according to Vance.
Other American media have noted that Florsheim parent company Weyco Group is suing the US government over Trump’s tariffs. The shoes are made in China, and therefore subject to significant sales penalties in the US.
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