President Trump Is Apparently Obsessed With Gifting a Particular Kind of Shoe
The shoes don't always fit, but Trump's staff wears them anyway.
Published March 12 2026, 10:06 a.m. ET
Among the many oddities and proclivities of the current president, one appears to be an obsession with a particular kind of shoe. According to reporting in The Wall Street Journal, President Trump gifts a particular kind of shoe to many of the people on his staff, and images of members of his cabinet wearing the shoes have gone viral online.
Following the reporting about Trump's shoe obsession, many wanted to better understand what the reporting said and why so many people found it so amusing. Here's what we know.
Does Trump buy shoes for his staff?
According to the report, Trump buys the people on his staff $145 dress shoes made by Florsheim. Trump apparently spent years looking for the best dress shoe option for him to wear during his long rallies, and landed on Florsheims. Now, he apparently wants to convert those around him to the same brand. He has purchased the shoes for Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
Trump has bought the shoes, which he pays for personally, for so many people that everyone on his staff is reportedly afraid of what the consequences might be for not wearing them.
"All the boys have them,” A female White House official told The Wall Street Journal. “It’s hysterical because everybody’s afraid not to wear them.”
That appears to be the case even if the shoes in question don't appear to fit well.
Marco Rubio has gone viral for wearing the shoes, which are too big for his feet.
The story that all of Trump's cabinet are wearing the same kind of shoe would be funny enough in its own right, but it's gone even more viral because images of Rubio have started circulating online in which he is wearing the shoes with a notable heel gap. This suggests that the shoes are too big for his feet, which could mean a couple of different things.
It could be the case that the Florsheims run big or that Trump ordered the wrong size. The scenario that many people think is most likely, though, is that Rubio inflated his shoe size because he knew the president would judge him if he thought his secretary of state's feet weren't big enough. Now, he's forced to wear shoes that are too big for his feet.
For critics of Trump and those around him, this is another reminder of the kind of personal fealty that Trump expects from those around him. In the highest levels of government, the president's closest advisors are apparently concerned that they might be fired or berated if they don't wear the shoes he got them, even if they don't fit.
It's ultimately not a big deal, but it is the kind of thing that the internet loves to discuss, in part because it feels so small and silly. Hopefully Rubio isn't rocking any blisters as a result of wearing shoes that are at least one size too big.