The super PAC supporting Donald Trump is putting the boot into Republican rival Ron DeSantis with an early Christmas gift.
It is sending him a $99 pair of handcrafted boots emblazoned with the red, white and blue of the Puerto Rican flag as part of its campaign accusing him of supporting statehood for the island — while reminding voters of his penchant for heeled boots.
The height of fashion, you might say.
‘America knows Ron DeSantis loves boots (with lifts inside of them) and Puerto Rican statehood, so we couldn’t think of a better early Christmas gift to the governor than a pair of Puerto Rican flag boots,’ said Karoline Leavitt, spokeswoman for Make America Great Again Inc.
‘We are willing to give the boots as a “loan” so that the governor can get around Florida gift laws and accept the boots like he accepted a golf simulator from a wealthy donor.’
The handcrafted Puerto Rico flag boots are currently discounted to $99.75 on Grizz Shopping
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ footwear has been in the news this week amid expert bootmakers’ claims that they look as if he is using lifts, despite the governor’s denials
Earlier this year it emerged that a pricey golf simulator was installed in the Florida governor’s mansion not as a gift from a wealthy donor but as what the DeSantis office called an ‘indefinite loan.’
The cheeky footwear is the latest sign that Trump supporters are shifting strategy.
After weeks attacking President Joe Biden, his likely Democratic opponent in the 2024 election, they have turned their fire on DeSantis who is currently in second place in the Republican running.
They see a chance to kill off his challenge forever as former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley looks to overtake him.
This week the super PAC launched an attack ad in Iowa, where DeSantis is focusing his resources, painting him as too liberal for voters in the state.
‘Liberals have a plan to make Puerto Rico a state, adding two Democrats to the Senate, and Ron DeSantis sided with the liberals’ power play,’ the ad says.
‘Ron DeSantis sponsored the bill to make Puerto Rico a state.’
Republicans have tended to oppose statehood for Puerto Rico, which they think would help Democrats by giving them extra members of Congress.
But as a member of the House of Representatives DeSantis was among several congressmen who co-sponsored the Puerto Rico Statehood Admission Act of 2018, which laid out a pathway to create a 51st state.
MAGA Inc bought the boots in good time for Christmas and sent them to the Florida governor’s mansion
It never made it past the committee stage, although the issue played well with Hispanic voters when DeSantis ran for governor.
Even so, Trump supporters have returned to the theme as they try to kill off his campaign.
For their part, DeSantis’ team said it was a sign of vulnerability for Trump.
‘After months of pounding their chest that they already had the race won, Team Trump is now being forced to publicly admit that Ron DeSantis is climbing in Iowa and is a dire threat to their chances of securing the nomination,’ said campaign spokesman Andrew Romeo.
‘At a time when Israelis and Americans are still held hostage by Hamas, while millions of Americans are suffering under high inflation, and when our southern border continues to be invaded, Team Trump inexplicably has decided to levy false and hypocritical attacks on Ron DeSantis… about Puerto Rico.’
DeSantis has also been on defense this week amid claims that the Florida governor is using lifts in his boots to boost his height.
A trio of expert shoemakers said they believed the was using footwear to elevate his standing with voters despite his repeated denials.
A trio of expert shoemakers believe that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is wearing heels despite the 2024 candidate denying that there are lifts tucked inside his cowboy boots. DeSantis sported these boots at a Heritage Foundation event on Friday
Bootmaker Zephan Parker of the Houston-based Parker Boot Company told Politico magazine: ‘I’ve dealt with these politicians many times. I’ve helped them with their lifts. [DeSantis] is wearing lifts; there’s no doubt.’
He examined photos of DeSantis at a campaign event in Tampa and noticed that although the boots resembled a traditional Western silhouette the heels appeared to be shorter.
Inserting lifts into regular cowboy boots, he added, could exaggerate the overall impact turning them into ‘five-inch stilettos.’
‘That’s too much for the common man,’ Parker said. ‘So on a ready-made boot, they’ll cut down the heel about half an inch to accommodate the lifts, which looks to be what happened here.’
The DeSantis campaign did not appreciate the analysis.
Spokesman Bryan Griffin said: ‘The governor doesn’t pad his boots, but if he ever needed anything to line a pet cage or fold up and wedge under a table leg, that would be the highest and best use for Politico Magazine.’