By Raul Castillo
02 Nov 2023, 18:31 PM EDT
The Republican Party’s presidential race for the 2024 election has been embroiled in unusual controversy in recent days, as candidates Donald Trump and Nikki Haley have criticized their Republican rival, Ron DeSantis, accusing him of artificially increasing his height using supposedly shoes with heels.
In a recent interview, Charlamagne tha God, guest host of “The Daily Show,” asked Nikki Haley if she considered wearing heels to compete with DeSantis in the upcoming third Republican debate in Miami, according to the New York Post. Haley responded cryptically, hinting that she might consider this option.
“I don’t know. We’ll have to figure it out,” Haley responded. “I can tell you that I have always talked about my high heels. I have never hidden it from anyone. I’ve always said, ‘Don’t use them if you can’t run in them,’ so we’ll see if he can run in them.”
Trump takes advantage of the controversy
The controversy began in early October when Donald Trump published a triptych image of DeSantis and his shoes, according to the Post. In this way he suggested that the governor could be wearing hidden heels. This provocation has generated comments and ridicule on social networks.
“Tell me she’s not wearing hidden heels,” said the caption of the image shared by the former president on his Truth Social network.
Additionally, Trump’s super PAC, Make America Great Again Inc., told the Daily Mail that it would send a pair of Puerto Rican-themed boots to DeSantis as an early Christmas gift, accusing him of supporting Puerto Rican statehood.
Those boots, as cited by the NY Post, include a prominent heel, which has fueled speculation about the governor’s height.
DeSantis denies it, but the experts speak
Ron DeSantis has emphatically denied these allegations and has stated that he prefers “standard, ready-to-wear” black Lucchese boots in most of his campaign appearances. He has also provided the official height of him, which is 5 feet 11 inches, according to a 2001 college list from Yale University.
However, three shoe manufacturers have expressed suspicions that DeSantis could be using elevators in his boots to gain a few inches in height.
In a report for Politico, the three manufacturers agreed that the images show the top of their boots pressing against the legs of the pants and heels shorter than usual on traditional Western boots.
“I’ve dealt with these politicians many times,” Zephan Parker of Houston-based Parker Boot Company told Politico. “I have helped them with their lifts. [DeSantis] has elevators; No doubt”.
This unusual controversy has added an unexpected element to the Republican presidential campaign and has generated a debate around the image and authenticity of the candidates.
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