Ex-RNC Chair: Fox Pundit Said 'Quiet Part Out Loud' About Trump's Sneakers

Michael Steele , a former chair of the Republican National Committee, reacted with disbelief to a Fox News contributors cringeworthy suggestion about Donald Trump s new shoe line .

Trump launched a line of $399 gold sneakers a day after a New York judge ordered him to pay over $350 million in damages for decades of fraudulent business practices.

The shoes, called The Never Surrender High-Tops, sparked widespread mockery . But not from Fox News Raymond Arroyo, who suggested over the weekend that Trump was connecting with Black America because they love sneakers. 

A clip of the moment gained traction on social media after it was posted midweek. Arroyo was criticized for promoting harmful racial stereotypes.

If you want to know what Trump campaign staffers think about you, just watch Fox News, Steele commented on MSNBC s All In on Thursday.

Somebody said the quiet part out loud on what the big sneaker strategy is really all about, he added.

He deadpanned after playing a clip of Arroyos commentary.

Seriously? Why didnt I think of this when I ran the RNC? he asked. Lets see. Black folks love sneakers. And we can paint them gold. This cant miss.

He added: Trust me. Its a big miss. And theyre ugly as hell.

The website selling the products, which have an American flag detail on the backs and the letter T on the sides, bills the sneakers as bold, gold, and tough, just like President Trump. The site says they have sold out.

Its just the latest in a series of products and money grabs launched by the former president amid skyrocketing legal fees and fines, which now reportedly exceed half a billion dollars.