Ron DeSantis IS telling tall tales when he says he doesn’t wear lifts, shoemakers reveal: Experts point to all the signs in Florida governor’s cowboy boots that he DOES have hidden heels

They’ve been the subject of millions of Twitter views, caused a stir on TikTok and prompted amateur sleuths to investigate.

They are 2024 presidential candidate Ron DeSantis’ cowboy boots.

The Florida governor is accused of adding lifts to brown and black boots to turn them into heels, giving him a height gain. traditionally as taller candidates.

Appearing on the PBD Podcast on Monday, DeSantis told host Patrick Bet-David that he wasn’t aware that people online were theorizing that he was wearing heels, saying his boots were “just standard, off-the-rack Lucchese” and that he was on 5′ was 11. ”.

But a trio of expert cobblers have come forward to claim he uses lifts to make himself look taller.

Politico Magazine on Tuesday gave what was just online speculation some legitimacy, with all three boot and shoe makers pointing out that the odd fit of the candidate’s boots likely means he’s getting a boost.

Boot maker Zephan Parker of Houston-based Parker Boot Company didn’t buy DeSantis’ denial Monday.

“I’ve dealt with these politicians a lot,” Parker told Politico Magazine. ‘I helped them with their lifts. (DeSantis) carries lifts; there is no doubt.’

Parker looked at photos of DeSantis at a recent campaign event in Tampa and noted that while the boots have a traditional Western silhouette, the heels appear shorter.

He explained that when you add elevations to cowboy boots, the combination with a high heel “can turn them into six-inch stilettos.”

“That’s too much for the common man,” Parker said. “So on an off-the-shelf boot, the heel is shortened about half an inch to accommodate the lifts, which seems to have happened here.”

Parker also said the top of the boots appears to extend further than that of a traditional cowboy boot.

While cowboy boots should fit snugly, tight boots cannot be lifted, so often men looking to gain some extra height will need to size up.

“He looks like he’s wearing pants with an eight-inch opening,” Parker noted, “which is enough room for a Western boot for a man of his proportions.”

However, because the tops of his boots are pressed against his pant legs, Parker suggested that “the boots are larger than intended, probably to accommodate his lifts.”

Austin-based shoemaker Graham Ebner told Politico Magazine that he also suspected DeSantis wears lifts.

“Three things stand out to me,” Ebner said, “the instep, the toe spring and where the ball of his foot sits in the boots.”

The instep in shoe making is where the shoelaces usually sit on the top of the foot.

In DeSantis’ case, Ebner pointed out that he had an unusually high instep.

“Instead of the leather wrapping the inside of his foot as it should, it appears as if his foot is lifted and the leather is stretched,” Ebner said.

As for the toe spring — how the toes curl up in a boot — Ebner commented on DeSantis that it looked too pronounced, suggesting his toes are too far back in the boot.

The ball of the candidate’s foot also seems strangely placed, according to the shoe maker.

“In the photo of him sitting on the wooden stool, you can see where the ball of his foot sticks out on the right boot,” Ebner said, describing DeSantis’ shoes at the Iowa State Fair. “It’s a long way behind where it should be. It should not be in that position unless the heels were raised dramatically.”

A TikTok user named Spamellina made a video showing DeSantis’ bootscomment: ‘Tell me he’s not wearing hidden heels.’

As part of the video, Spamellina sketched on top of DeSantis’ boot, showing the foot as Ebner described. A women’s wedge then flashed on the screen to serve as a comparison.

A third shoemaking expert, London-based Nicholas Templeman, noted that DeSantis’ boots had an unusual wrinkle high on the shaft – indicating that a wedge on the inside is lifting his foot.

“If you put your foot in a regular pair of western cowboy boots, it’s just your shin bone, it doesn’t bend,” Templeman said.

DeSantis spokesman Bryan Griffin did not appreciate Politico Magazine’s investigation.

“Considering that Politico Magazine did indeed spend money to consult ‘boat experts’ to publish this hit piece on DeSantis, this tells you everything you need to know about their ‘journalism,'” Griffin said. “The Governor isn’t filling his boots, but if he ever needs something to line a pet cage or fold and wedge under a table leg, that would be the highest and best use for Politico Magazine.”

Politico Magazine does not appear in print, nor did the news organization pay the shoe experts to judge whether the 2024 hopeful was wearing hidden heels.

Augusta University political science professor Gregg Murray, who has studied physical components and how they relate to political preference, told DailyMail.com on Tuesday that “there is an instinctive preference for physically formidable leaders,” linked to wanting of strong allies during a conflict.

So DeSantis’ behavior — and that of Senator Marco Rubio before him — isn’t exactly surprising.

“There’s a long history of American politicians trying to look physically stronger, by wearing big-heeled shoes or standing on a box behind a debate stage, or at least trying to look physically healthier,” Murray said .