TAMPA, Florida — These boots were made for...controversy.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a 2024 presidential hopeful, has been busy on the campaign trail. Over the last several months, he's, literally, had boots on the ground for rallies, fundraisers and TV appearances across the U.S.
And while his policies have drawn a fair amount of backlash, it's his footwear that's been making headlines as of late.
Millions of people online have been analyzing recent photos and videos of DeSantis to determine if his oddly-shaped cowboy boots may be the result of heel-boosting inserts.
For instance, this post on X by 10 Tampa Bay reporter Aaron Parseghian shows the Florida governor standing at a podium during a news conference.
At first glance, it seems like a "run-of-the-mill campaign coverage tweet," as Parseghian puts it. But if your eyes scan down, you may notice what the 3 million other users who viewed the post saw.
Parseghian's post isn't the only time the unusually-placed crease has been caught on camera. X user Evan Kilgore shared a video of DeSantis walking across the stage at the Mandate for Leadership Series on Oct. 27 with what appears to be an abnormal gait and a kink in his boots.
A closeup of DeSantis' cowboy boots from the event shows that same signature bend.
While speculation over lifts has been swirling online for weeks, DeSantis finally put his foot down on the issue in an episode of the PBD Podcast released on Oct. 30.
Host Patrick Bet-David showed DeSantis a clip of him on "Real Time With Bill Maher" that went viral on TikTok, accusing the presidential candidate of wearing "hidden heels."
"I haven't seen that," DeSantis said in response.
Once Bet-David clarified the accusations, DeSantis responded, "No, no, no. Those are just standard, off-the-rack Lucchese boots." The governor also said he's 5-foot-11.
However, Politico spoke to three different shoemakers who said otherwise.
"[DeSantis] is wearing lifts; there’s no doubt," Zephan Parker told the publication.
"[The ball of his foot is] a good inch behind where it should be. It should not be in that position unless the heels were being lifted dramatically," Graham Ebner added.
DeSantis, as he claims, may not be wearing lifts. But it's possible he's just trying to get a leg up on his 6-foot-3 top competitor.
