MANUAL/ How to display your erudition without saying anything of your own, when commenting on major issues!

 Kliko këtu për të tjera
Voxpress:

The incredible story of the $145 shoes: Trump gives them to his people, who are 'forced' to wear a larger size

2026-03-13 18:56:27Lifestyle SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Trump obsessed with $145 shoes

When Robert Mueller headed the FBI, as his biography has shown, the dress code for the agency's officials was strict. Although there was no written rule, everyone conformed to the head's "uniform": a dark suit, a solid-colored tie or at most a micro-pattern, and, above all, a clean white shirt.

There have been cases where some employees, the night before a meeting, would go out and buy a new shirt. It is said that for over a decade, from 2001 to 2013, only a few individuals dared to show up to the office wearing a blue or pink shirt, and they were (politely) reprimanded by the director. But that was it.

But US President Donald Trump, as is his nature, goes further. A new part of his standard outfit, a blue Brioni suit, a white shirt and a brightly colored silk tie, where red predominates, and a pair of black calfskin French shoes, priced at $145. Trump buys these from an American brand with a hundred-year history: Florsheim, founded in Chicago in 1892. And since he liked them so much, he has started giving them to ministers, parliamentarians, corporate directors and more or less well-known characters he meets.

The process is codified: Trump welcomes guests into the Oval Office, asks what size shoes they need, and places the order with one of his aides. In a room across the hall, according to a source familiar with the Wall Street Journal, boxes of pre-ordered shoes are lined up, accompanied by letters and autographs from the president himself.

In recent weeks, the same shoes have been seen on the feet of some of his loyalists (some of whom have complained about having to give up their more popular brand names): Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and even Fox News hosts.

It was Vance who first spoke about Trump's new "outfit" in December. After a meeting in the Oval Office, he said: "At one point, he looked at my shoes and Marco's and said, 'They look awful.'" Trump took out a Florsheim catalog, handed it to attendees to browse, and asked them to indicate what size they would prefer for the new shoes.

A question that, given Trump, has a second purpose. According to Vance's version, the president added: "You can tell a lot about a person by their shoe size."

Rubio, for example, ordered a size 45.5, even though he is 5 feet 11 inches tall (in 2016, when Rubio challenged Trump in the Republican primaries, he called him “Little Marco”). The result was captured by a photographer in the days that followed, in the corridors of Congress. The “Trump” shoes worn by the Secretary of State were completely uneven on both sides, with two empty toes between the heel and the front of the shoe. This photo was re-posted on Twitter by the account of Derek Guy, an anonymous person who has become known for his posts about classic men’s clothing, and has gained 1.4 million followers. Many users wondered how Rubio could endure such inconvenience, just to please the president.

What is certain, however, is that Trump's love for Florsheim is not mutual. In fact, the company's owner, Thomas Florsheim Jr. (fifth generation), has denied any knowledge of the presidential orders. Also, researching online, we find a series of his harsh statements against the taxes imposed by Trump. Florsheim manufactures in China, a contradiction of the "America First" principle that Trump has defended and has had problems with tariffs that reached up to 145%.

He explained that "we had to raise prices," adding that the company had had to "run" to import a million pairs of shoes before prices increased. Even the option of moving production to India was not spared, as New Delhi was also hit by these economic measures.

In December, Florsheim's company filed a lawsuit against the federal government, hoping the Supreme Court would throw out the tariffs. And that's what happened on February 20. Florsheim has estimated that the losses from the tariffs amounted to $16 million, and is seeking damages, with interest. / Corriere della Sera


Në përputhje me standarded JTI

Video

SHIKO KANALIN NE YOUTUBE
×