When Florida Governor Ron DeSantis attended the Iowa State Fair in August (you know, way back when some pundits still thought he was a viable candidate for president), there was something about him that just wasn’t right. His feet.
Of course, everybody knows DeSantis walks funny. But, after examining photos of him at the Fair, Austin-based cowboy bootmaker Graham Ebner observed that the governor’s boots curl up at the toe with an instep that is unusually high. “It’s pushing out of the leather,” he said. The top of the boots look flat like there is nothing inside, like he is walking on his tip toes, the way little kids will try to walk in their dad’s shoes. Ebner concluded DeSantis is wearing lifts.
DeSantis claims he’s 5’ 11”, but subtracting the assistance he gets from the lifts, he is more like 5’ 9”. Probably nobody would care except that he lies about it. Appearing on the Daily Show, presidential candidate Nikki Haley said, “I can tell you I’ve always talked about my high heels. I’ve never hid that from anybody.” She quipped, “I’ve always said, ‘Don’t wear ‘em if you can’t run in ‘em,’ so we’ll see if he can run in ‘em.” DeSantis seems to want to take over where Donald Trump left off—which would be some pretty big shoes to fill. “Short Trump,” they call him.
And speaking of Trump, the former guy’s credibility may have shrunk but, when he was booked at the Fulton County Jail, he still claimed he was 6 feet three inches tall and 215 pounds. If that was true, Trump would look like the average NFL linebacker instead of an obese couch spud. Standing next to Melania, who is 5’ 9 ½”, Trump appears only slightly taller. Reportedly, he now refuses to be photographed next to his son Barron because the 17-year-old is already 6’ 7” and looks like he’s at least a half a foot taller than his dad.
Trump likes to mock other people for being overweight. He called former Miss Universe Alicia Machado, “Miss Piggy” and referred to Rosie O’Donnell as a fat slob. He repeatedly says fellow presidential candidate Chris Christie is a “fat pig”. Now, I’m not saying Donald Trump is a pig. But if he was, any hog breeder would be pleased with Trump’s weight gain and classify him as a “grower”.
Politics aside, it is a universal truth that most people lie about their height and weight. According to the Pew Research Center, the average man overestimates his height by two inches and the average woman underestimates her weight by five pounds. And, while it is disturbing that we are such liars, it may be even more troubling that we can no longer rely on our measuring eye. If we accept that Ron DeSantis is 5 feet 11 inches tall when he’s really 5’ 9” and that Trump is 215 pounds when he’s really 260 pounds, what will that mean for the next generation of engineers? Bridges will no longer reach across rivers because estimates for I beams fall a little short. Elevators rated to hold ten people will unexpectedly crash with only six people. We can no longer be trusted with numbers. It’s too bad, but if the shoe fits….