Donald Trump responds after his merciless jibe at politician over his small shoe measurement

On Mar 10, 2026

When Donald Trump, the US President, suggested the politician’s small shoe size was likely to mean underdevelopment elsewhere, the colleague was reportedly embarrassed

01:11, 10 Mar 2026

Donald Trump has responded with an act of generosity after embarrassing a politician with a brutal jibe.

The US President, 79, had implied the unnamed colleague in the Oval Office his small shoe size was likely to mean underdevelopment elsewhere. It reportedly upset the politician as the dig was made in front of senior colleagues, including JD Vance and Marco Rubio.

But now it is said Mr Trump has tried to make amends by buying his top men new shoes each worth $145 (£108). Mr Rubio, the secretary of state, JD Vance, the vice-president and Pete Hegseth, the secretary of war, have all received a pair of Florsheim shoes in recent months. Others presented with the brand’s classic lace-ups include the Fox News host Sean Hannity, the senator Lindsey Graham and the Maga celebrity Tucker Carlson.

And the administration are reportedly “afraid not to wear them” in Mr Trump’s presence at the Oval Office. A female White House official said: “All the boys have them. It’s hysterical because everybody’s afraid not to wear them.”

It is believed Mr Trump likes to open cabinet meetings with a check-up on how people are enjoying the “incredible” footwear. “Did you get the shoes?” he reportedly asks.

It is understood the politician hopes the bout of generosity will help encourage Republican unity amid murmurings of discontent in the Maga movement. The dad has faced criticism recently over his appetite for foreign wars, and the spiralling cost of oil among other issues.

But he has paid for the shoes himself, The Times reports. Florsheim, one of the President’s favourite brands, was founded in Wisconsin in his nation in 1892 and, during the past year, Mr Trump has often been photographed wearing its shoes on official engagements.

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The dad, who had said in early 2025 he needed something a bit more comfortable for long days in the Oval Office, usually encloses a note of gratitude to recipients of the shoes or signs the box. One box of shoes in his office says “Scott” – apparently intended for Scott Bessent, the Treasury secretary.

Recalling the awkward moment Mr Trump embarrassed the politician, JD Vance said in a podcast: “He asks this politician, who I won’t embarrass, what his shoe size is, and he says, ‘seven’. The president, he kind of leans back in his chair and says, ‘You know you can tell a lot about a man by his shoe size.’… He says, ‘Marco, what’s your shoe size?’ And Marco’s apparently an 11 and a half. He says, ‘JD, what’s your shoe size?’ My shoe size is 13.”