Former president and current GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump has joined in on the mockery of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) over his alleged use of high-heeled lifts inside his boots — declaring that the fellow Republican presidential candidate “walks like a duck.”
The internet single-handedly forcing Ron DeSantis to address wearing heels is probably one of my favorite things to come out of 2023.
— Savanah Hernandez (@sav_says_) October 30, 2023
DeSantis has faced scrutiny in recent months for allegedly wearing lifts to increase his height, though the Florida governor and his campaign team have repeatedly denied the allegations. There have been numerous analyses of DeSantis’ photos and live appearances from commentators and even boot-makers who have declared that it appeared he was wearing lifts — as it looks like there is nothing in the front of his boots where his toes should be.
Trump joined in on the mockery in a recent not-yet-released two-hour exclusive interview with Breitbart News at Mar-a-Lago last week.
“Did you see him walk off the stage in the last debate? He could barely walk,” he said of DeSantis. “I’m a little bit surprised he continues to do it because he had trouble as he walked off the stage in the last debate. Somebody is going to say to him ‘take off those shoes we want to see if they’re high heels.’ He’s going to have no choice but to do it if you had a really good debater. That’s what they’d do because he tries to pretend it doesn’t happen. He walks like a duck.”
DeSantis has denied these allegations on numerous occasions but has not disproven them, even going so far as to refuse to try on a pair of boots offered to him during an appearance on the PBD podcast with businessman Patrick Bet-David.
This clip of PBD putting Ron DeSantis on the spot about his high heel boots 😂 pic.twitter.com/m76YUYfAdm
— LeftMap 🩻 (@leftmapcs) October 31, 2023
The story has become a major “scandal” on social media and in the mainstream media, with many outlets doing their own investigations and speaking to experts about the issue, including Politico, Vanity Fair, New York Magazine, Barstool, and the Palm Beach Post.
Many commentators, including journalist and YouTube host Tim Pool, have argued that this “scandal” is symptomatic of DeSantis and his campaign being unable to properly respond to a joke.
History books are going to be hilarious
"The DeSantis campaigned struggled to recover after Ashley St. Clair posted a video mocking the candidate for wearing lifted cowboy boots to appear taller" https://t.co/WuA6nn4fmU
— Tim Pool (@Timcast) October 31, 2023
A clip of DeSantis tripping off the stage at one of the GOP primary debates also went viral, prompting many to speculate that the stumble was due to the lifts inside his cowboy boots.
Ron DeSantis stumbled down a step during a commercial break. #Debate2023 pic.twitter.com/k7OuN0Uxhw
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) November 9, 2023