Presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis frequently wears heeled cowboy boots and recent rumors suggest they might contain lifts to make him taller. In fact, expert shoemakers told Politico the boots seem to feature “heigh-boosting insoles.” As usual, late-night hosts had some thoughts on the rumor.
On The Late Show, Stephen Colbert reflected on Halloween, mentioning that he saw “this cute little fella going around in adorable cowboy boots.”
“What was his name?” Colbert asked. “Governor Ron DeSantis. You see, he’s just a little shaver of a guy… You see DeSantis wears only cowboy boots and here’s the thing: cowboy boots, they’re great if you’re a cowboy. If you’re the governor of Florida then you look like a dork.”
He added, “This is the greatest political height scandal since we found out Lincoln wore that hat to hide his stove-pipe forehead.”
On Late Night With Seth Meyers, Meyers recounted the scandal, including DeSantis’s denial of the rumored lifts. “Florida governor Ron DeSantis was asked if the cowboy boots he is often photographed wearing have heels,” Meyers quipped. “And he would have walked straight out of that interview if his arches weren’t killing him.”
On The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon noted that it’s been suggested that DeSantis wearing lifts is the “kiss of death” for his campaign. “DeSantis said, ‘Please, my campaign was over way before this,’” Fallon said. “Trump was like, ‘I bet you with you were 6’ 10″ and 120 pounds like me.’”
On Jimmy Kimmel Live, Kimmel joked that if you threw in a tube of lipstick “suddenly it’s illegal to teach kids in Florida public schools about their own governor.”
DeSantis’s cowboy boots have become a frequent discussion on social media, with many users attempting to figure out what exactly is going on with the oddly-shaped shoes. One X user shared a series of sketches, noting, “Obsessed with the theory that Ron DeSantis’s shoes look so weird because they’re hiding 4 inch heels inside.”