U.S. presidential candidate Rubio makes first appearance during ‘Tonight Show’

(REUTERS) — U.S. Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio appeared on NBC’s “The Tonight Show” for the first time on Thursday (January 21). During this appearance, host Jimmy Fallon joked about Rubio wearing boots with high heels during campaign event in New Hampshire.

“I love these boots, by the way and people made a big deal that you had heels on your boots, who cares?” Fallon joked. “These are great boots, by the way, these are Florsheim.”

“I only wear them on my weekends,” Rubio responded.

Rubio’s first appearance on the show comes just days ahead of key Republican primary contests in Iowa and New Hampshire.

In a clip released ahead of the show’s broadcast, Rubio is shown joking with Fallon about his high-heeled boots after they went viral on social media earlier in January.

Long viewed by the Republican establishment and many donors as one of their rising stars, the senator from Florida has been struggling to make his mark in the race for the party’s 2016 presidential nomination in a field led by mavericks Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.

Regarded as well-spoken and telegenic, Rubio began facing criticism a few months ago when he was perceived as campaigning too little in Iowa and New Hampshire, the two states where next month party members will cast their first ballots.

Rubio, 44, may still have a breakthrough, but with less than a month until Iowa’s nominating caucuses, the first-term lawmaker faces questions about his campaign strategy in a race for the Nov. 8 election made up of 11 candidates dominated by the billionaire Trump and Texas’ Cruz.