It appears Donald Trump was 6’2” for years before he entered the 2016 Republican Primary, then he shot up to 6’3”. This may have had more to do with his rivals at the time, Jeb Bush and Rick Santorum who are both 6’3”. History confirms in the race for presidential candidate the taller candidate is most likely the victor. The 45th President of the United States, Donald John Trump resents people who are taller than him and does not like to look small in front of his opponents. He is man obsessed with being the biggest, the best, the most impressive, and does not feel constrained by objective facts to prove it.

Photograpic comparisons with others of known height appear to tell a conflicting story. During his inauguration, standing next to former president, Barack Obama (6’1” – 1.8m), Donald Trump looked smaller in stature. When he and former FBI Director, James Comey (2.03 m), were photographed the latter towered over the former, and more than the official 13 cm difference in height.

So too did his son-in-law, Jarod Kushner (1.9m) and when he stood beside Justin Trudeau (1.88 m), the two appear to be the same height. Yet, Trudeau, appears at least an inch taller than Trump in a photo taken at the G7 summit. The two men stand shoulder-to-shoulder in the image along with fellow world leaders.

Many believe the former POTUS wore elevator shoes to artificially enhance his height.

Human height has long been associated with interpersonal dominance and social status. Both sociological studies and historical evidence confirm taller people receive a more positive perception of themselves as well as greater social success. The idea height alone defines a man’s value is archaic and part of a very backward notion of masculinity. None the less, tall men seem to command more respect and reverence. Thanks to anthropometric research data , it is possible to calculate a person’s height from their hand length, as the two measurements are highly correlated. Taller people tend to have bigger hands, although there is some variance in human proportions

length = 27 + (0.095 × height)

Madam Tussaud in Las Vegas keeps a brass hand print of Donald Trump’s hand which measures 7.4” long (18.8 cm).

The 1988 US Army Anthropometry Survey (ANSUR) data , provides hand height comparisons, and when the Tussaud hand is measured in the same way, Trump’s corrected hand length is 198 mm (7.8 inches), which would make him approximately between 5’ 9” and 6’ tall . Trump’s hand length is almost exactly 1 standard deviation below what we would expect of someone as tall as he claims. A person 1.8m tall would have a hand size of about 206 mm. according to these statistics.

Unfortunately, for the benefit of analysis, there is not a Trump footprint. As with the hand, a linear correlation between foot size and height exists and taller people generally have bigger feet. Officially Donald Trump is a size 12 (US), with is consistent with a man of 6’3” stature. However, shoe size is not a perfect measure of foot size, and people can wear longer shoes to give the impression of larger feet. A problem may arise when trying to negociate stairs or sloping surfaces as normal propriception is negated when wearing ill-fitting shoes.

Comparisons between Justin Trudeau (Size 11 US) and President Trump (size 12 US) do suggest Donald J Trump may have smaller feet than widely reported. The combination of elevated shoes worn longer than the feet however, like clown shoes would lead to an unsteady gait, particularly when negociating stairs. It has been claimed Donald Trump suffers from bathmophobia, or the fear of slopes or stairs.

Throughout his presidency, Donald Trump wore expensive suits that just do not seem fit him. We are told he prefers to buy off the peg clothing and refuses to have them tailored. His persistence to appear taller than he is and wearing suits cut for a 6’3″ man only highlights the mismatch between the suit and his physique. Wearing shoe lifts merely making him appear more comical

The former President of the United States in ill-fitting suits makes him appear at time comical with or without elevated shoes. No doubt this accounts for his change of wardrobe to long coats to help streamline an expanding waistline. Officially, according to his latest medical records, Trump is 6-foot-3, weighs 243 pounds, and has a body mass index of 30.37 (Class 1 obese).

Unlike many of his predecessors, who preferred handmade boots, the former incumbent at the White House had his own Oxford shoes. He is rarely seen in anything else, and joins a long line of Oxford wearing Presidents including: Truman, Eisenhower, Reagan, Clinton, and Bush (both of them). The Trump Collection sells a prestigious line of merchandise including clothing and accessories, considered by some to be a must-have for the rich man’s wardrobe. However, once Trump started on the campaign trail major retail outlets keen to down play their association sidelined the brand from their stock. Some cited their need to maintain a non-partisan stance, whilst others made it clear, Donald J Trump was generally unpopular, and likely to turn customers off.

A foot challenged Donald J Trump allegedly suffered heel spurs but it also looks like he has tailor’s bunion and physically needs a broader fitting.

More Information
Zeitgeist: All the Presidents’ Shoes