Donald Trump has traded in his signature MAGA hats for an unexpected gift of choice: $145 Florsheim men's dress shoes that he's distributing to agency heads, lawmakers, and White House officials — and he apparently expects them to wear them in his presence.
According to a Wall Street Journal report by Alex Leary, the president has developed an obsession with the footwear and has made gifting them a ritualistic part of his Oval Office operations.
Trump has been known to suddenly pivot conversations to his "incredible" new shoes. During a January lunch with Tucker Carlson, he handed the media personality a pair of brown wingtips without warning. At cabinet meetings, he asks recipients: "Did you get the shoes?"
Some officials appear to feel compelled to wear the shoes in Trump's presence despite their reservations, which has included putting them on and lacing them up during Oval Office meetings. One female White House official remarked: "All the boys have them." Another joked: "It's hysterical because everybody's afraid not to wear them."
The president has developed a system for the shoe distribution. He guesses people's shoe sizes in front of them, asks an aide to place an order, and a week later a brown Florsheim box arrives at the White House — sometimes signed by Trump with a note of gratitude.
At least one cabinet secretary has privately complained about having to shelve his Louis Vuitton shoes in favor of the Florsheims.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance both received their Florsheims during a December Oval Office meeting. According to Vance's recollection, Trump examined their feet over the Resolute Desk and declared: "Marco, JD, you guys have s---y shoes." He then retrieved a catalog and asked for their sizes. Rubio said 11.5; Vance said 13.
While Trump continues handing out MAGA hats from a makeshift gift shop outside the Oval Office, along with presidential coins, staff photographs, and the black Sharpies he uses to sign documents, the shoe distribution represents an escalation in his gift-giving practices.
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