Ron DeSantis Responds As Only He Can to ‘Bootgate,’ Jokes About What He’d Do If Trump Attends Next Debate

On Tuesday, RedState reported on what has been referred to by some political observers as "bootgate," which relates to the pressing concern as to why Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wears cowboy boots so often and whether they God forbid might have "lifts" in them.

As we noted, the so-called boot "issue" was brought up back in early spring by panic-stricken Democrats and NeverTrump sellouts like the Lincoln Project's Rick Wilson a couple of months before DeSantis officially declared his 2024 presidential candidacy.

Fellow Republican presidential candidates have also gotten in on the act. Nikki Haley recently jabbed DeSantis over the boot question. Donald Trump and his social media influencers have made it a focal point as well, so much so that DeSantis' spokespeople have gotten involved in mocking DeSantis' critics including those in the MSM who have attempted to lend credence to what's been alleged.

DeSantis, too, has been asked about the claims and has laughingly dismissed them. But perhaps his most pointed response came Thursday during an interview with Newsmax's Eric Bolling, where a chuckling DeSantis first pointed out that we have actual serious issues before us that need to be discussed and that this is not the time for "foot fetishes" before vowing to wear a boot on his head if Trump participated in the next GOP debate (transcribed from video):

“This is no time for foot fetishes. We’ve got serious problems as a country. We’ve got war in the Middle East. We’ve got terrorists coming across our own Southern border. We have an American dream that’s out of reach for millions of Americans because of the Bidenflation and the high energy prices.”
“We’ve got schools that are indoctrinating kids, not educating kids, and we’ve got cities that are being overrun by crime. And I know people want to try to divert onto other issues. I know Donald Trump and a lot of his people have been focusing on things like footwear. I'll tell you this, if Donald Trump can summon the balls to show up to the debate, I’ll wear a boot on my head."
"This is a time for substance. This a time for us to debate the issues that matter to the American people. And the question is are you able to fight for them, which we have done in Florida. Are you able to win those fights, which we have been able to do in Florida. And are you able to lead to a better tomorrow. We've done that in Florida and we'll do that for the United States of America."

Watch:

WATCH: Ron DeSantis tells people who talk about his footwear “this is no time for foot fetishes”pic.twitter.com/KMv2p81UmX
— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) November 3, 2023

The next GOP presidential debate is scheduled for Nov. 8th in Miami. While it's unlikely DeSantis will be wearing a boot on his head, what is certain in my humble opinion is that went it comes to "bootgate" and all the hullabaloo surrounding it, DeSantis has nailed down exactly how to respond to it, especially in the context of national and international events.