President Donald Trump’s favorite shoes — which he freely doles out to Cabinet officials, staffers and guests — aren’t made in America. And the footwear maker’s parent company has sued his administration over its sweeping tariffs.
Florsheim, a Chicago-based men’s shoe firm, has found itself in the national spotlight since The Wall Street Journal reported last week that their black leather oxfords, which sell for about $145, are a must-have in the White House.
The 79-year-old billionaire president is so fond of the shoes, that he’s gifted them to seemingly every man in his orbit after apparently trying to guess their shoe size. Among the recipients are Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Sen. Lindsey Graham and podcast host Tucker Carlson.
The shoes have attracted some negative attention – a picture of Rubio wearing a pair that looked too big for him went viral and led to suggestions that the president’s top aides were “afraid” not to wear the gifts he had given them, even if they didn’t fit. The president is said to follow up with recipients on the gifts.
“All the boys have them,” a White House official told the Journal, while another said: “It’s hysterical because everybody’s afraid not to wear them.”
But, while Florsheim enjoys success in the small, albeit influential market of Washington's elite, the company has reportedly been priced out of operating in the U.S.
The firm, founded in 1892, cannot afford to make its affordably priced shoes domestically, according to The Milwaukee Business Journal.
Production has been outsourced to China, Cambodia, Mexico, India and the Dominican Republic, Justin FitzPatrick, the owner of J.FitzPatrick Footwear and menswear blogger, told CNN.
Florsheim’s website doesn’t list overseas partners, and a spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Independent.
The revelation that Trump’s favorite footwear is not made in the U.S. shouldn’t come as a surprise. While he’s promised to bring about a renaissance of American manufacturing, his branded products have long depended on overseas production. Newsweek highlighted in 2024 how Trump-labeled shirts, jackets, baseball caps and flasks were all produced abroad.
At the same time, Florsheim’s parent company, Weyco Group, is suing the administration over its sweeping tariff regime.
The firm, which owns Nunn Bush and Bogs, filed a lawsuit against the government over the levies in December, according to Business Journal. It requested that the U.S. Court of International Trade “declare the president’s unprecedented power grab illegal.”
The company further asked that the court provide a refund of the $16 million it spent on tariffs in 2025, should Trump’s tariffs be overruled.
When the Supreme Court struck down the president’s tariffs last month, Thomas W. Florsheim Jr., the CEO of Weyco Group, penned an opinion piece titled “Business Leaders Welcome SCOTUS Tariffs Decision.”
And, on February 26, he further criticized the steep levies.
“The idea behind the tariffs originally was pro-business, and it feels like somehow the pro-business part of this has gotten lost,” Florsheim Jr. told Spectrum News. “From a business planning standpoint, it’s been almost impossible.”
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