In a bizarre episode of White House power dynamics, former President Donald Trump took it upon himself to upgrade the footwear of his two most senior Cabinet members, gifting them multiple pairs of his preferred formal shoes.
The Presidential Fashion Intervention
The incident began when Trump, during what Vice President JD Vance described as a 'really important meeting', abruptly brought proceedings to a halt. 'The President holds up his hand and says, 'No, no, no, hold on a second. There's something much more important – shoes,'' Vance recalled. Peering over the Resolute Desk, Trump reportedly told Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, 'you guys have s***ty shoes. We gotta get you better shoes.'
Trump, 78, then proceeded to fetch a catalogue, asking the two men for their shoe sizes. Rubio, 54, stated he was a size 11.5, while 41-year-old Vance reported a size 13. The President subsequently ordered four pairs of black Oxford shoes for each man.
A Symbolic Gesture with Ill-Fitting Results
The gifts, however, came with a twist. When both men dutifully wore the presidential presents in the White House last week, the shoes were clearly several sizes too large for them. The New York Times reported that during an interview with Trump, both officials showed off their new footwear, with Vance even 'lifted his leg in the air to show the President the pair he was wearing'.
The gesture has been widely interpreted as a classic Trumpian power move, a symbolic act of dominance over the two men he apparently referred to as 'kids' during the same interview. The act of providing a basic item of clothing carries connotations of paternalistic control, underscoring the President's seniority.
The Unspoken Message Behind the Shoe Size
The episode took a further awkward turn when a third, unnamed politician revealed his shoe size was a 7. Trump reportedly leaned back in his chair and quipped, 'You know, you can tell a lot about a man by his shoe size...'
This crude joke, as recounted by Vance, led to wry speculation that it might give the Secretary of State and Vice President a reason to overstate their own sizes in future. The entire incident sheds a revealing light on the unconventional and often theatrical interpersonal politics that characterise Trump's administration, where loyalty and perception are frequently communicated through symbolic, and sometimes ill-fitting, gestures.
