Let’s Talk About Trump’s Shoe Thing

Of the many inconsequential tribulations you’re likely to suffer in daily life, there are few more irritating than ill-fitting shoes. The day-ruining agony of an itty-bitty toe blister or ankle booboo is easy to dismiss until you’re the one at work having a raw spot raked into your skin with every step you take, the relief of your fuzzy house slippers miles away and many hours in your future. Choosing the right footwear for yourself is an important personal choice, and for that reason (and other, more HR-relevant ones that I trust you can imagine), shoes aren’t a gift commonly exchanged among co-workers.

Donald Trump’s White House, of course, isn’t most workplaces. This week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump has taken to distributing pairs of Florsheim dress shoes, which retail for about $145, to favored allies both inside and outside the administration, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Fox News star Sean Hannity. Apparently the president sometimes hands over the new kicks in autographed shoeboxes. In the day following the Journal’s story, shares of Florsheim’s parent company Weyco Group Inc. rose more than 6%, though most of that gain his since worn off.