Megyn Kelly couldn’t stop laughing about Ron DeSantis’ “bootgate” on Thursday, presenting clips of some of the heated media speculation about whether the Florida governor and 2024 Republican presidential hopeful is wearing lifts in his ever-present black boots.
“This is actually a really fun story and we need it. We need this after the dark news of the past few weeks,” Kelly said in a Thursday episode of “The Megyn Kelly Show” with guests and “Ruthless” podcast hosts Tom Bevan and Josh Holmes. She admitted that at first she thought “bootgate” was “so petty” and “so stupid,” but, “I’m completely into it now.”
“They say tall people are more likely to win elections,” Kelly said, citing a 2011 study. “So Tom Bevan, it could matter,” she said.
Kelly got a kick out of DeSantis’ recent appearance on Patrick Bet-David’s “PBD Podcast,” in which the host tried to get the politician to take off his own footwear and put on a pair of Ferrogamo boots Bet-David had just purchased. DeSantis adamantly refused, saying, “Oh my god, I don’t accept gifts. I can’t accept it.”
Kelly also included a widely shared TikTok video that pointed out DeSantis’ awkward stance in the now infamous boots and a Politico article in which three menswear experts concluded that the GOP presidential candidate is wearing lifts.
Kelly suggested that DeSantis could have taken off his boot to prove to Bet-David that there were no lifts inside or publicly admit that he’s a little insecure about his height.
You can watch the whole segment in the video above.
Former President Donald Trump sent an email on Tuesday calling DeSantis “borderline psychotic” for trying to appear taller. “The View” hosts also poked fun at him, pointing out the anti-“woke,” anti-LGBTQ politician once said that “men in heels are a threat to society.”
DeSantis’ presidential bid has also suffered from budget issues and lack of momentum. In July, he fired 38 campaign staffers, but he has managed to qualify for the Republican presidential debates.
