Given Donald Trump’s history of making false or misleading statements — and his fixation on people’s physical appearance and size — it’s not a reach to think that he’d exaggerate his height.
The president-elect has long claimed that he stands a commanding 6 feet 3 inches, the Daily Mail reported. But the 78-year-old didn’t appear to measure up to that height, not while standing next to Prince William, who also is said to be 6-foot-3.
The height discrepancy of an inch or two was visible when Trump met the heir to the British throne at the reopening of Notre Dame in Paris on Saturday. Trump and William appeared to enjoy a cordial exchange as they shook hands inside the cathedral, though the prince had to bend his head to meet the shorter man’s gaze.
Trump and William later posed for photos at the residence of the British ambassador to France, as an exercise of soft diplomacy. Trump, again, looked somewhat shorter than the son of King Charles III and the late Princess Diana.
Incidentally, the former reality TV star once claimed that he could have “nailed” Diana, and he also insisted in 2023 that William’s mother was among the celebrities who wanted to “kiss” up to him before he went into politics, People reported. The latter claim was fiercely denounced by Diana’s brother, Charles, 9th Earl Spencer, who said that the princess once likened Trump to a very bad sore in “the arse,” in the one and only time he said she mentioned him.
It’s not likely that William brought up Trump’s boasts and insults at the Notre Dame event. After all, he was there to represent his father and British government. If there’s any consolation, he appeared to tower above the man who once spoke disrespectfully about his mother — even as he also appeared to have a friendly chat with the incoming U.S. president.
Trump, for his part, praised William, quipping to reporters: “Good man, this one.” In a later interview with the New York Post, Trump had more positive things to say about the future king, saying they had a “great” 40-minute chat.
“I asked him about his wife and he said she’s doing well,” Trump told the Post, referring to the Princess of Wales’ treatment over the past year for cancer. Trump also referred to Charles’ cancer battle, saying, “And I asked him about his father and his father is fighting very hard, and he loves his father and he loves his wife, so it was sad. We had a great talk for half an hour, a little more than half an hour. We had a great, great talk.”
Meanwhile, it’s possible that Trump has become shorter than his stated 6 feet, 3 inches. It’s known that men can begin to shrink as they age. Some health experts say that men can lose an inch in height between ages 30 and 70, and lose another inch after they turn 80. Trump is almost 80.
According to the Daily Mail, Trump remains sensitive about his height, as he has boasted about the beauty and stature of his oldest daughter Ivanka Trump. He also has expressed pride in the fact that his youngest son, 18-year-old Barron, has grown to a towering 6 feet 7 inches.
But “rumors have long swirled” that Trump relies on “lifters” — insoles in shoes — or taller heels to give him an additional height, the Daily Mail reported.
Unfortunately for Trump, he has begun to appear shorter than he might like when he has recently posed besides other world figures and business leaders, according to the Daily Mail. For example, Trump didn’t look much taller standing next to the 5-feet-7-inch French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace Saturday.
Trump also has been somewhat dwarfed physically by his fervent new supporter, the 6-feet, 2-inch Elon Musk, the Daily Mail said. When the Tesla and Space X founder joined Trump at his campaign appearances, or when he hosted the 47th president to the Nov. 19 launch of his SpaceX Starship rocket, he stood “significantly” taller than the new president, the Daily Mail reported.
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