“I don’t know. We’ll have to figure that out. I can tell you I’ve always talked about my high heels. I’ve never hid that from anybody,” Haley responded. “I’ve always said, don’t wear them if you can’t run in them. So we’ll see if he can run in them.”
DeSantis’ campaign didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, but has vehemently denied the heel accusations in the past. In a POLITICO article this week about the matter, a DeSantis campaign spokesperson called it a “hit piece” and said the presidential candidate doesn’t pad his boots.
In the last few weeks, posts mocking DeSantis’ strangely shaped cowboy boots have flooded social media, with online sleuths trying to determine whether he’s wearing height-boosting insoles to pump himself up against taller candidates. (DeSantis is believed to measure up to 5’11”, while Donald Trump stands at 6’3”.)
There’s no definitive proof that DeSantis is walking around on his tip-toes, but three experts told POLITICO earlier this week that they believe it’s very likely.
“I’ve dealt with these politicians many times,” said Zephan Parker, a Houston bootmaker who says his company has made height-increasing cowboy boots for a number of Texan politicians. “I’ve helped them with their lifts. [DeSantis] is wearing lifts; there’s no doubt.”