President Donald Trump apparently has a bizarre obsession with Michael Jackson’s favorite men’s shoe brand and it’s becoming a problem for his inner circle.
The 79-year-old has reportedly sought to force his own aides to share in his obsession, buying up shoes from the Chicago-based brand Florsheim that his underlings are then expected to wear. The president is particularly enamored with a pair of $145 oxfords from Florsheim that can be found in most discount shoe stores.
“All the boys have them,” a female White House official told The Wall Street Journal. A second joked, “It’s hysterical because everybody’s afraid not to wear them.”
The latter comment came in jest, but one official was reportedly rankled that he had to shelve his Louis Vuittons and replace them with the sensible leather footwear.
Founded in 1892, Florsheim shoes became widely popular in the 1960s, and the company’s stores were a fixture in shopping malls until the early 2000s. More recently, the brand has sought to move away from its reputation as a relic of past generations by offering more contemporary styles.
Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had no qualms with the shoes, at least not publicly, when The New York Times visited the White House to interview Trump and his minions in December. They gleefully showed reporters from the paper the shoes that Trump had bought them.
“Vance lifted his leg in the air to show the president the pair he was wearing,” White House Correspondent Katie Rogers wrote at the time.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Trump’s communications director Steven Cheung, deputy chief of staff James Blair, and speechwriter Ross Worthington have also been given the shoes.
Trump also gifted Fox News personality Sean Hannity and GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham a pair.
The Journal reported that Trump is so taken with the shoes that he has a stack of them in the White House, according to one insider. Another says he often demands that an aide place an order with Florsheim whenever he sees fit. When the shoes arrive, he sometimes attaches a personalized message before gifting them.
However, Thomas Florsheim Jr., CEO of the company that owns Florsheim, claimed ignorance, telling the Journal he was unaware of any orders relating to the president. Florsheim shoes were previously made famous by the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, who preferred to perform in them rather than expensive designer kicks.
Trump has also reportedly begun to guess people’s shoe sizes to their faces. If this goes wrong, it could potentially be dangerous, menswear writer Derek Guy told the Journal.
“If you have a suit that doesn’t fit well, you’ll just look bad. But if you have a shoe that doesn’t fit well, you can develop physical issues,” he said.
On the same day as The New York Times interview, Rubio, a size 11.5, was photographed on Capitol Hill with ill-fitting shoes. He was pictured embracing Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer, and a wide chasm was visible at the back of his right shoe.
Trump ordered the footwear after pausing a previous meeting to criticize Rubio and Vance’s “f****g shoes,” according to the vice president.
He is also known to dole out MAGA caps, which he keeps in a gift shop in the White House. Trump also likes to hand out presidential coins and signed photographs of himself.
