After his rivals and media outlets have alleged Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wears boots that make him look taller, the Republican presidential candidate said in a recent media appearance that "this is no time for foot fetishes."
DeSantis made the remarks Thursday night in an appearance on Newsmax after host Eric Bolling pushed him to respond to the repeated allegations. The governor continued, describing a long list of "serious problems" he believes the country is facing such as "schools that are indoctrinating kids" and "terrorists coming across our own southern border."
He followed up with a challenge for his chief opponent, former President Donald Trump, who skipped the first two presidential debates that DeSantis attended.
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"I know Donald Trump and a lot of his people have been focusing on things like footwear," DeSantis said. "I'll tell you this, if Donald Trump can summon the balls to show up to the debate, I'll wear a boot on my head. This is a time for substance."
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The conversation about DeSantis' choice of boots arose after rumors swirled on social media that he's worn cowboy boots with prominent lifts while on the campaign trail, leading a menswear expert to investigate his footwear. DeSantis and his campaign have denied the allegations, with DeSantis insisting his boots are standard, off-the-rack Lucchese.
As news outlets and social media have honed in on DeSantis' boot choices, the candidate currently sits 46.6 percentage points behind Trump in an average of national Republican primary polls with just over two months to go until the Iowa caucuses in mid-January.
After DeSantis finished responding to Bolling, the host offered some free advice for the Republican candidate if someone ribs him about his height again.
"Living in Florida," Bolling said, "knowing the success you're having down here, next time someone asks you how tall you are, I would say something like, 'I'm about 6'10 if I stand on my policy success in Florida.' And I'm guessing that would be the mic drop."
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