President Donald Trump got another chance to talk up his love for a Chicago shoe brand that’s ubiquitous in discount shoe stores.
In a Friday interview with Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade, the 79-year-old president was asked about reports that he has been obsessed with a $145 pair of Florsheim shoes—so much so that he’s been giving out pairs to all the men around him.
“Is it true that you’re telling your whole Cabinet to wear the same shoes, these Florsheim shoes?” Kilmeade asked in an apparent reference to a Wall Street Journal report detailing the president’s new shoe-buying craze.
“No, but it’s a nice shoe,” Trump responded, before appearing to U-turn on his own denial.
“What I do is, as somebody that for many, many years has walked around in shoes that were no good—and, you know, would not be that comfortable—so I have fun with it,” he continued. “When they tell me they have a problem, I say, ‘Let me get you a pair of shoes.’ And seems to work out pretty well. Now they look all spiffy and nice.”
The Journal reported that Trump has grown fond of guessing people’s shoe sizes in front of them, then asking an aide to put in a Florsheim order. A week later, a shoebox arrives at the White House, which the president sometimes signs or attaches a note to, sources told the outlet.
The White House said Trump pays for the shoes himself.
“I never like Cabinet members walking in sneakers,” he told Kilmeade. “You know, sneakers are wonderful, but I don’t want my Cabinet members wearing sneakers. So, I’ll get him a pair of shoes. It’s a gift from Donald Trump.”
Lucky Florsheim recipients so far include Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, as well as top White House aides James Blair and Steven Cheung. Even Fox News’ Sean Hannity and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham have received new kicks.
“All the boys have them,” a female White House official told the Journal. Another quipped, “It’s hysterical because everybody’s afraid not to wear them.”
However, it looks like Trump’s shoe-size-guessing skills could use some work. Rubio, 54, was mocked online after photos captured him standing in Florsheims that were visibly at least a size too big for him.
It also doesn’t appear that Trump’s love for Florsheim is reciprocated by the century-old American footwear brand. Weyco Group, the firm that owns Florsheim, has sued the Trump administration over its tariffs.
In December, Weyco asked the U.S. Court of International Trade to declare the levies “illegal” and requested a $16 million refund, with interest, on the fees it has already paid.
“The idea behind the tariffs originally was pro-business, and it feels like somehow the pro-business part of this has gotten lost,” Weyco CEO Tom Florsheim told Spectrum News last month. “You’re paying more for the tariff than you were for the shoes.”
