Is Marco Rubio Too Short For the Presidency? Mediaite Examines This ‘Growing’ Concern

The high-heeled bootie controversy that rocked the Twitter accounts of the political media world last month brought into sharp focus the topic of Florida Senator Marco Rubio’s height. Many questions came to the surface. Why does he need a boost to prop himself up? How tall is the man? More importantly, how tall are his bootie heels?

In the scheme of things, this topic warrants very little importance. Right now, the world finds itself in uncertain if not terrifying terrains, and our American electorate is as divided as we’ve seen it in our lifetimes. However, the issue of the height of U.S. Presidents does serve as an interesting little footnote in American history, and is often one of those qualifiers we discuss when examining our past Commanders-in-Chief.

Does height equate power? Does its absence imply weakness? General George Washington was the undisputed choice to serve as our nation’s first leader following the establishment of the Constitution, and legend indicates that his height and girth were natural indicators of his leadership of the Continental Army, and later, the fledgling nation.

At 6’2”, Washington and Thomas Jefferson each were widely regarded as powerful figures who spoke and delivered from a position of status, towering over most of their peers. Sandwiched in-between their terms was the unfortunately-endowed John Adams, whose plump 5’7” frame was a punchline even by 1797 standards.

So how about Rubio? As one of the final five to earn his party’s nomination — and as the increasingly-likely establishment choice — how does height play a role? Jeb Bush of all people managed to swipe at Rubio’s size on the campaign trail, telling MSNBC “[At least] I don’t have a height issue” (electability is clearly a different marker).

Google would tell you that the Florida Senator is 5’10”, to which I throw the red challenge flag emphatically. I’ve never met the man, but judging from depth and perception of watching years of media coverage, I would say he’s much shorter than that. The Washington Post even indicated in January “we have heard from well informed Florida sources that he is more like 5’8””.

Nice try Marco, but you must be this tall to ride Cadillac One.

5’8” (if true) would hardly disqualify Rubio from the ranks of the Presidency, but it would certainly put him in the lowest bracket in American history, with only six Presidents registering shorter (assuming aggregated data on this topic is historically accurate).

As general nutrition and health-related advances have resulted, generally, in a taller and more robust American populace when compared to our forefathers, Rubio’s 5’8” frame would put him generations behind the curve. We have not had a 5’8” President since William McKinley in 1901.

The tallest is easy enough to recall from your civics classes: Abraham Lincoln, who packed on 6’4” of frame, slightly edging out LBJ.

We have had 18 Presidents at least 6’ in height. This list includes: Barack Obama, 6’1”. Ronald Reagan, 6’1”. Bill Clinton, 6’2”. W., 6′ even.

All hope is not lost for our high-heeled bootie favorite son Rubio, however. Incredibly, it was our shortest President who provided the single most important document in our nation’s history, who therefore arguably continues to have the greatest, if not most controversial, legacy:

James Madison, clocking in at the itty bitty adorable 5’4”.

It must have been some sight to see stumpy Madison waddling into the Virginia State legislature and later the White House flanked by his towering pal Jefferson, but the unlikely duo made for a fierce dynamic. Despite their height difference of a whopping ten inches, the Jefferson and Madison coalition fiercely championed states’ rights and used their pulpits (Madison’s with an apple box, I would assume) to speak against the federal tyranny of the Adams administration.

As for the 2016 field that remains, Rubio falls short of his competition. But the establishment certainly doesn’t seem to mind, as the Florida Senator has racked up an impressive list of party endorsements in the last week alone. But are we, as an American people, really prepared to elect a man who will forever be followed by whispers of Oh, he’s so much shorter than I thought he’d be? Perhaps the GOP is hoping to replicate Madisonian politics, with power firmly compacted into a tight undersized frame. But if the party decided that optics, strength, and visibility are important, there is an impressively-sized candidate still in the running who might fit the bill:

Businessman Donald J. Trump, who clocks in at 6’2″ — the same height as Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

Images for this story come from Flickr and ABC News.
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J.D. Durkin is the Senior Editor of Mediaite. He is 5’10”, though doctors have indicated he may actually be slightly taller when he stands up with perfect posture. You can follow him on Twitter @jiveDurkey.

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.