Trump says he gifted officials dress shoes: ‘I don’t want my Cabinet members wearing sneakers’

WASHINGTON, DC: Donald Trump has confirmed that he sometimes gifts dress shoes to members of his administration, explaining that he prefers his Cabinet officials to show up in formal footwear instead of sneakers.

The president spoke about the unusual habit during a Friday, March 13, appearance on ‘The Brian Kilmeade Show,’ where he addressed reports that he had been handing out shoes to agency heads, lawmakers, and White House advisers.

Donald Trump says he gifts shoes to Cabinet members

During the interview with Brian Kilmeade, Trump acknowledged that he sometimes offers footwear to people in his administration.

“When they tell me they have a problem, I say, ‘Let me get you a pair of shoes,’” Trump said.

He explained that the gesture is something he enjoys and described it as a lighthearted way to help people.

“What I do is, as somebody that for many, many years that has walked around in shoes that were no good and would not be that comfortable - so I have fun with it,” he said.

Trump was responding to a question about whether he had encouraged Cabinet officials to wear the same style of dress shoes.

Donald Trump addresses reports about Florsheim dress shoes

Earlier reports indicated that Trump had become particularly fond of shoes made by Florsheim, a company known for its leather oxfords.

According to the report, Trump had been gifting the shoes to several people in Washington, including agency leaders, lawmakers, and White House advisers.

The shoes mentioned in the report typically sell for about $145.

However, Trump pushed back slightly on the idea that he was overly attached to that specific brand.

“No, but it’s a nice shoe,” he said when asked about Florsheim.

He added that the idea behind the gifts was simple: to make sure officials look sharp when they appear in public.

“It seems to work out pretty well,” Trump said. “And now they look all spiffy and nice.”

The report about the shoes also sparked online criticism and jokes.

Photos circulated showing Secretary of State Marco Rubio wearing dress shoes that some critics claimed were too large.

Donald Trump says he 'never likes' cabinet members walking in sneakers

Trump made it clear during the interview that the reason behind the shoe gifts comes down to his view of how Cabinet officials should dress.

“I never like Cabinet members walking in sneakers,” he said.

He quickly added that he has nothing against sneakers in general.

“Sneakers are wonderful, but I don’t want my Cabinet members wearing sneakers,” Trump told Kilmeade.

Instead, he said he prefers them to wear more formal footwear while carrying out official duties.

“So I’ll get them a pair of shoes. It’s a gift from Donald Trump,” he said.

Donald Trump previously launched his own sneaker line

Trump’s interest in footwear is not entirely new.

In 2024, he introduced a line of shoes called Trump Sneakers during an appearance at Sneaker Con in Philadelphia.

The collection included two different styles aimed at sneaker fans.

One version was a mid-top sneaker available in two colors and sold for $199. Another was a gold high-top design priced starting at $399.

The launch drew attention at the time because it marked a rare moment when a sitting political figure entered the sneaker market.