Trump Forces Aides to Wear $145 Florsheim Shoes He Buys Them

The president is obsessed with the Chicago-based brand and demands his top team wear the oxfords.

Published on Mar. 9, 2026

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President Donald Trump has become fixated on buying his top aides pairs of $145 Florsheim oxfords and forcing them to wear the shoes, even if they clash with their existing wardrobes. Several White House officials have admitted they are too afraid to refuse the president's gifts, with one joking "everybody's afraid not to wear them." Trump has even started guessing his aides' shoe sizes and ordering the footwear without their input.

Why it matters

Trump's insistence that his staff wear the specific Florsheim shoes he selects highlights the president's micromanaging tendencies and the fear his aides feel about defying his demands, even over something as seemingly trivial as footwear. It also raises questions about whether the president is overstepping boundaries and potentially causing physical discomfort for his team by forcing ill-fitting shoes on them.

The details

According to reports, Trump has gifted the Florsheim oxfords to a number of top White House officials, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, communications director Steven Cheung, deputy chief of staff James Blair, and speechwriter Ross Worthington. The president has also given pairs to Fox News personality Sean Hannity and GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham. Trump is said to keep a stack of the shoes in the White House and often demands that an aide place an order with Florsheim whenever he sees fit.

  • In January, Trump was photographed with his top team at Davos wearing the Florsheim shoes.
  • In December, Vance and Rubio showed off the Florsheim shoes Trump had bought them to New York Times reporters.

The players

Donald Trump

The 79-year-old President of the United States who has become fixated on buying his top aides pairs of $145 Florsheim oxfords and forcing them to wear the shoes.

JD Vance

The Vice President who gleefully showed New York Times reporters the Florsheim shoes Trump had bought him.

Marco Rubio

The Secretary of State who was photographed on Capitol Hill with ill-fitting Florsheim shoes that Trump had ordered for him.

Thomas Florsheim Jr.

The CEO of the company that owns the Florsheim brand, who claimed ignorance about any orders relating to the president.

Derek Guy

A menswear writer who warned that if Trump guesses his aides' shoe sizes wrong, it could potentially be dangerous and lead to physical issues.

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What they’re saying

“It's hysterical because everybody's afraid not to wear them.”

— White House official (Wall Street Journal)

“Vance lifted his leg in the air to show the president the pair he was wearing.”

— Katie Rogers, White House Correspondent, The New York Times (The New York Times)

“If you have a suit that doesn't fit well, you'll just look bad. But if you have a shoe that doesn't fit well, you can develop physical issues.”

— Derek Guy, Menswear writer (The Wall Street Journal)

What’s next

The president is expected to continue gifting Florsheim shoes to his top aides, raising concerns about the physical toll of ill-fitting footwear and the power dynamics at play.

The takeaway

Trump's fixation on controlling the wardrobes of his staff, even down to the specific brand and style of shoes they wear, underscores the president's micromanaging tendencies and the fear his aides feel about defying his demands, no matter how trivial they may seem.