Trump's 'toe pads' spark social media firestorm: 'What an alpha male'

[Tom of Temecula]

First there were Ron DeSantis’ alleged heeled boots, now there are Donald Trump’s “toe pads.” Social media has not taken kindly to the discovery of the two black rectangular pads spotted under the former president’s feet while he was speaking at Mar-a-Lago. “What is Trump standing on here? How often does he use these?” one account asked in an X post, which included a photo of Mr Trump’s shiny black shoes leaning on the pads.

One user joked, “trump toe pads, desantis’ heels - does the Republican Party have a foot fetish?” “Counter balances the 3-inch lifts in his shoes since he can no longer hold his own weight,” someone commented. Another brutally remarked, “Trump needs toe pads to stand up without falling over. What an aLpHa MaLe!” Yet another wrote, “me leveling my uneven furniture.”

Others posted photos of him leaning forward at press conferences, and is now using toe pads to prevent leaning too far. One wrote, “He now uses foot pads to prevent himself from tipping over. If Joe Biden did this, Fox News would talk about nothing else.”

Others still speculated that his forward lean could be an indicator of health issues. “That forward lean is an indicator of Frontotemporal Dementia. Some have thought he was in early stages when he ran in 2016. MAGA candidates relax: it progresses slowly,” a user postulated. Other users suggested the same diagnosis with photos of the 2024 frontrunner and a list of symptoms, including “poor judgment,” “socially inappropriate behavior,” “loss of empathy” and “problems with balance.”

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trumps-toe-pads-shoe-smells-b2469246.html

Link to tweet

[EYESORE 9001]

1. Valid point about the media

Their sins of omission couldn’t be more blatant when it comes to covering stencholini.

[Roy Rolling]

5. All mediums?

Are you saying every news/entertainment outlet has sinned?

Me? I’ve worked in media for decades among mostly liberal Democrat-leaning cast/crew.

Blaming the broad media is a right-wing message, not just a mistake. Right-wing morons reject every source but themselves and the dictator.

Conflating sh*t propaganda outlets with every other media outlet is the goal of Putin’s propaganda machine. “Don’t trust anyone but us” is the whole theme of propaganda and authoritarian dictators.

To hear it repeated on DU (not just here, but too frequently) is disappointing. Mushy and broad language here is MISSION ACCOMPLISHED for the opposition to democratic media like DU.

For clarity, I’m not picking on the enlightened OP but it’s time we upped our game on DU posts. Blame commercial media, blame right-wing media, blame hypocrites like Carlson, Hannity, et al. But blaming “media” isn’t even logical, and meant to break areas of the brain charged with making objective decision-making. Don’t use the right-wing message of the media is the enemy. Why do they use it? Because people who work on media (me) are the strongest financial, philosophical, and political opponents of Trumpanistan worldwide.

[EYESORE 9001]

7. Be that as it may

Where’s the coverage of rump’s obvious decline? Are you going to tell me with a straight face that the media - yes, all corporate media - wouldn’t jump on any story portraying Joe Biden as a doddering old fool? You may be an expert in the field, but I’m limited to what I can observe. So far, the media have done dismally.

[Ferrets are Cool]

15. Do you consider MediasTouch media? I do. So yes, there are voices out there doing and saying AND REPORTING the

right things.

[EYESORE 9001]

19. I did say 'corporate' media, making a distinction

Medias Touch et al are not part of that exercise in gaslighting.

[PJMcK]

11. EYESORE makes a reasonable point

You point out that it's mostly right-wing media pushing Trump. EYERSORE's point is that mainstream outlets are not as forceful as those on the right. Any observer can see those obvious political leanings.

It's clear that those outlets on the "left" are not nearly as strident as those on the "right."

What outlets lean left? MSNBC? It has a relatively small audience compared to the scale of the voting public. Plus, their audience is relatively static in that it's generally the same people watching most of the time.

How about the New York Times? The so-called "paper of record." Here's their piece about Trump's recent comments echoing Hitler:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/22/us/politics/trump-blood-comments.html?searchResultPosition=2

As Jeff Tiedrich tweeted, "the other day, the Times decided to check out this whole “Trump sure is sounding a fuck of lot like Hitler these days” thing, and — spoiler alert — they did it in the most tepid way possible. because of course they did. they’re The New York Times."

Left-leaning media has been terrified of the "liberal" label since Nixon and definitely since Reagan. They slant their reporting with a both-siderism in order to avoid being criticized.

Frankly, it's pathetic. There's an obvious criminal running for president and the media-- almost all of them!-- treat the daily news as if these are normal times.

I've worked in entertainment and media for almost 50 years. The purpose of a free press is to inform the public. But because most of the wide-reaching media is owned by corporations, they are motivated by PROFITS not public service. Peruse the the news any day and you will not find a political balance. This is a very dangerous environment as it legitimizes the criminal running for office.

[rubbersole]

17. TV media is profit driven.

Clicks and eyeballs are the point. Truth, especially 'inconvenient' truth, doesn't stand a chance against the almighty dollar.

🎅 🤶 👋

[bucolic_frolic]

2. All that without examining the bottoms for velcro

I'm with the would-fall-over-without-them camp.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

3. He has severe problems with balance

He's leaning over far to the authoritarian right.

[2naSalit]

18. Just observe...

Last edited Mon Dec 25, 2023, 11:28 AM - Edit history (1)

How he leans on and hangs onto the podium at his events. He pivots from the waist up and hangs on for dear life most of the time.

Hopefully soon he'll fall and break his damned mouth.

[machoneman]

22. Yes! I noted that same a while ago. He's gripping the podium always with a death squeeze. Never seen on stage...

...w/o that podium. Oh, when he walks, it's a funny gait as well.

[no_hypocrisy]

4. At the end of his life, my father was like that.

He (inadvertently) set fire to a room upstairs while he cooked dinner downstairs. Or he'd have pots on an open flame on the stove and would abandon them to go to another room to watch FOX News.

At Thanksgiving, my sister's puppy escaped and got run over in the dark and the rain. As you can imagine, she was inconsolable. Our father's response: 1) You're overreacting. You have three more dogs, and 2) Let's eat!

He was getting into multiple fender benders when driving. When he backed into traffic from the driveway, he was in the wrong lane in the wrong direction -- and just stayed there for a minute..

He lost a front tooth and didn't go to the dentist for a year. He learned to like to it, comparing himself to Mad Magazine's Alfred E. Newman (a figure he detested when I read the magazine).


More stories, but TFG gives me PTSD when I read stories like this.

[Ponietz]

6. Feet of clay

[Buns_of_Fire]

8. The pads hide the cables that connect to the

Trump-A-Tronic control panel, developed in conjunction with Disney and usually manned by Stephen Miller.

Occasionally, the technicians make a mistake and miswire the connections, which results in uncontrollable air-accordion movements and jerky dancing. Miller usually has them shot when this happens.

That's what some people are saying, anyway.

[Ligyron]

9. lol.

Can just see him doing that dance now with a crazed, deranged look on his face, lol.

[GiqueCee]

14. An astute observation...

... I work in animatronics ( to the uninitiated, that is pneumatically actuated, computer-controlled robots) Trump obviously has a bad cylinder combined with a programming glitch. A leaky valve would account for the occasional simulated flatulence. The trouser stains are probably an attempt at authenticity, but TMI, in my opinion.

[twodogsbarking]

10. Shtinky.

[walkingman]

12. The things that people will do to stay "significant" amazes me. What a way

to spend your elder years. Just weird to me.

I'm 73 and I'm thinking WTF who would want that kind of life?

[Ferrets are Cool]

16. I have come to believe that even if there was only ONE person in the crowd cheering him on,

he would still be doing this. It IS who he is.

[sop]

13. We mustn't ridicule Trump for his toe pads, it would be offensive to all the other shoe lifters out there.

[3825-87867]

20. Take a closer look at the shoe length

It almost looks as though his shoes are a few inches longer than necessary, maybe with "empty space in the front. Kinda like DeSantis.
IF..his feet were a little too short...AND he had the heels "lifted" a bit to make him appear taller, it might explain leaning forward as much (in addition trying to balance a "load" being carried behind. Longer shoes would try to help keep him "upright".

Just noticing!

[sop]

21. We really need a sarcasm font on DU, that animated 'sarcasm thingy' isn't very subtle.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100218550380

[LetMyPeopleVote]

23. Donald J Trump - PSP form of Frontotemporal Dementia:

Link to tweet

“Stiffness and Awkwardness in Gait – Poor Judgment – Loss of Empathy – Socially Inappropriate Behavior – Lack of Inhibition – Repetitive Compulsive Behavior – Inability to Concentrate or Plan – Frequent and Abrupt Mood Changes – Speech Difficulties – Problems with Balance or Movement – Memory Loss.”

Trump appears to be Exhibiting every Symptom of this Type of Dementia – including – Leaning Forward When Standing!

Also – Trump has been Exhibiting Sociopathic Tendencies – throughout his Entire Adult Life!