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  "path": "/2026/03/13/photo-marco-rubios-feet-goes-viral-trumps-shoe-size-taunt-27404880/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-13T17:03:25.000Z",
  "site": "https://metro.co.uk",
  "tags": [
    "News",
    "US",
    "Donald Trump",
    "White House",
    "Trump has been handing out the pavement thumpers",
    "government",
    "JD Vance",
    "Social media",
    "Duffy",
    "Chicago",
    "German",
    "Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source"
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  "textContent": "Eagle-eyed folk have spotted that perhaps Mr. Rubio isn’t _quite_ the size 11.5 he claims to be (Picture: Getty Images)\n\nA viral photo of Marco Rubio’s feet has become the internet’s latest political obsession after it was revealed that President Donald Trump has been buying very specific shoes for members of his cabinet.\n\nThe Miami-born Secretary of State appeared to have plenty of space inside his footwear in the image, a fact which quickly spread online once the unusual White House gifts came to light.\n\nThe shoes in question are classic Florsheim dress shoes costing about $145. According to reports, Trump has been handing out the pavement thumpers to a whole host of his male allies in government.\n\nThe moment Rubio’s pair appeared online, however, people quickly noticed the fit looked somewhat roomy. Which sparked plenty of jokes that he might need to start wearing thicker socks. Or perhaps not try to impress his boss by fibbing about his shoe size.\n\nThe $145 Oxford shoes certainly seem _pretty_ roomy around the back (Picture: Getty Images)\n\nThe story behind the footwear gifting originally dates back to a December meeting that was held inside the Oval Office.\n\nVice President JD Vance later described the moment in fairly amusing detail. According to VP Vance, Trump glanced across at the shoes worn by the politicians standing in front of him. Trump seemed to be fairly unimpressed by what he saw.\n\n‘Marco, JD, you guys have s***** shoes,’ the president told them. The blunt comment set the tone for what followed next. Instead of simply criticising the footwear and having done with it, POTUS reached for a catalogue and began asking the politicians about their respective shoe sizes.\n\nVance recalled that Trump went around the group requesting the numbers one by one.\n\nThe Vice President said he told this superior that he wore a size 13. Rubio replied that his size was 11.5 while a third politician present said he wore a size 6.\n\nThe politician with the tiny trotters was not named during Vance’s light-hearted retelling of the anecdote, in which Trump couldn’t help but comment on the revelation.\n\nPresident Trump seemingly likes to use shoe size and footwear quality to judge the character of the men he has working under him (Picture: REUTERS)\n\nOnce the answers were given, Trump leaned back in his chair and delivered a line that has since become a central part of the story’s online life. ‘You know you can tell a lot about a man by his shoe size,’ he rather tritely remarked.\n\nThe comment instantly added another layer of humour/absurdity to what had already been a fairly odd Oval Office conversation.\n\nAs for Rubio’s heel gap? Social media users began wondering whether the Floridian Secretary of State might have slightly overstated his shoe size when asked for it by Trump.\n\nA single comment on X summed up the theory that spread across the platform. ‘They all told the President their shoe sizes were bigger than they are because of the exact same reason a 12-year-old would,’ the user wryly noted.\n\nMarco Rubio, in happier times, back when he was able to wear shoes that he got to pick out and that actually fit him (Picture: AP)\n\nPeople familiar with the president’s habit say the footwear gifts follow a routine that Trump seems to enjoy repeating time and time again. He’ll sometimes guess a person’s shoe size while speaking to them face to face. After the guess an aide will place an order for a pair of Florsheim shoes for them.\n\nThe White House says that Trump personally pays for the footwear himself.\n\nAround a week later the chosen official receives a brown Florsheim shoebox. The package reportedly carries Trump’s signature. In some cases it even includes a short handwritten note. The result is that several members of the administration now all own, and wear, a pair of exactly the same shoes.\n\nAccording to The Wall Street Journal, a number of senior figures have received the footwear. Those named include Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and White House communications director Steven Cheung.\n\nThe shoe paranoia felt by male underlings of President Trump is real (Picture: Getty Images)\n\nThe circle extends beyond the Cabinet as well. Fox News host Sean Hannity reportedly has a pair while former Fox personality Tucker Carlson does too.\n\nSenator Lindsey Graham and White House deputy chief of staff James Blair are also said to own the shiny Oxford shoes.\n\nSome inside the White House appear amused by the situation even if it does create the occasional wardrobe dilemma. One female official joked about the growing trend by saying: ‘All the boys have them…’\n\nAnother described the social pressure that comes with receiving a presidential gift. ‘It’s hysterical because everybody’s afraid _not_ to wear them,’ they said.\n\nAccording to sources, one Cabinet secretary even complained privately about needing to set aside their Louis Vuitton shoes when visiting the White House. Instead they felt obliged to wear the somewhat inferior Florsheims supplied by the president.\n\nFlorsheims, the iconic New York shoemakers (Picture: Getty Images)\n\nThe brand at the centre of the story has a long history in the annals of American footwear. Florsheim was founded in Chicago in 1892 by German immigrant Sigmund Florsheim together with his son Milton.\n\nOver time the company became known for traditional dress shoes worn by businessmen and politicians alike. American soldiers even wore Florsheim footwear during both world wars.\n\nPresident Harry Truman also owned a pair, while Michael Jackson famously moonwalked in Florsheim loafers. Although Jacko’s probably fit him slightly better than Marco Rubio’s.\n\nComment now Comments  Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source ",
  "title": "Photo of Marco Rubio’s feet goes viral after Trump’s shoe-size taunt"
}