Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., earned a “pants on fire” rating this week from PolitiFact Florida after he claimed his boots are made in Wisconsin.
The senator’s Florsheim ankle boots “aren’t made in the Badger State, where the company is headquartered. Florsheim told us most of their products are made in China, but Rubio’s boots came from India,” read the 500-plus-word article, which was published Tuesday.
“We have to put our foot down on this one. We rate Rubio’s statement Pants on Fire!” the fact-checker added.
The tongue-in-cheek report comes on the heels of the press’ new-found obsession with the 2016 presidential candidate’s footwear, which started after a New York Times reporter offhandedly published a snapshot of the senator’s boots a few weeks ago.
The Times has since dedicated an unusual amount of time and energy to the issue:
This is an actual screen shot of the @nytimes politics section right now. #bootghazi pic.twitter.com/5e8He5nacC
— Alex Conant (@AlexConant) January 8, 2016
Rubio’s boots have become a source discussion on the campaign trail, as reporters and primary opponents alike have weighed in to comment on what is apparently an unusual fashion choice. The senator’s shoes have been the topic of several fashion columns, and primary contenders, including Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, have taken digs at Rubio over his footwear.
Rubio himself has chimed in on the issue, calling the press’ obsession a bit of “craziness.” But he also defended his fashion choice by explaining that the boots are made in Wisconsin, and that he is therefore supporting American economy.
“They sold out of those boots online,” the senator said on Jan. 18 at a campaign event in Waverly, Iowa. “They’re made in Wisconsin. Florsheim! You know what that means? That means I did more for American business in one week than Barack Obama did in seven years!”
PolitiFact checked this claim and found that it is false.
“Like all of the Glendale, Wis., company’s shoes, Rubio’s boots aren’t made in the United States. The company did recently collaborate with designer George Esquivel to create a luxury shoe line that is made in California, but Florsheim said their products are made in Asia, mostly from China,” the fact-checker reported.
The report continued:
In short, Rubio’s claim that his shoes are made stateside is incorrect, according to PolitiFact’s in-depth review of his remarks, and the Florida senator’s pants are apparently on fire.
