Last updated on November 22, 2023
In an era of extreme bipartisanship and polarity in American politics, Ron DeSantis’ unexpected shoe fashion may just be what is keeping America sane during the 2024 Presidential Race.
Heading into the race, Ronald D. DeSantis, the current governor of Florida, was widely known as a front-runner for the Republican party’s presidential nomination, standing next to big names like Trump as one of the likely candidates to be chosen for the nomination. Up until this point, DeSantis had made a name for himself by taking an extreme approach to campaign branding, pushing himself as a candidate who would enforce anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and endorse a strong pro-choice stance.
But while Americans were well braced for DeSantis’ controversial takes on major ballot issues, they were certainly not prepared to see Ron DeSantis make national headlines for different, much less problematic reasons – his campaign fashion.
Following the first of the GOP Presidential Primary debates, the American people had lots to say. From conversation surrounding the GOP candidates’ stance on abortion rights to the various stabs the candidates took at current President Joe Biden, the internet was on fire. But emerging amongst the internet chaos following the debates was a fascinating, new, and refreshing dive into… Ron DeSantis’ boots? TikTok was fascinated with the heeled, black leather boots DeSantis sported to the night’s event. The reason? Ron DeSantis padded them with inches upon inches of padding to boost his height, or at least, that’s what the internet speculates.
Hilariously, users of TikTok quickly began taking stabs at the second-hand-embarrassment surrounding DeSantis’ shoe choice, with some creators comparing him to the likes of American teenage boys lying about their heights to girls and shoe insole addicts.
But beyond the innocent laughs Americans across the country got from DeSantis’ boots, there’s a much deeper conversation to be had surrounding the ordeal’s importance to the 2024 Presidential Elections. That’s because while America spared no time arguing over divisive issues like climate change and abortion rights that further polarized Americans on both the left and right, DeSantis’ shoe fiasco finally allowed America to take a break from its political seriousness and consume politics from a more lighthearted, peaceful, playful perspective.
Small moments like these help bring back a sense of enjoyment to politics that has quickly been lost to the competitiveness of the political landscape today. Moments like Mike Pence’s episode with a fly during the 2020 debates, Obama’s friendship with the Thanksgiving turkeys during his term, and yes, DeSantis’ journey with fashion are very much essential elements to politics that both bring a playful element back into the field and a humanizing effect to the politicians.
So, in some respects, we have Ron DeSantis to thank for the giggles he gave us this election cycle, and hopefully, a new precedent of good unseriousness in the elections still yet to come!
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