New images of Donald Trump without a bandage on his injured ear, show no signs of damage, as new evidence raises more questions than it answers about apparent assassination attempt in rural Pennsylvania

 

Trump ear image1 (Reuters)

The first photographs of Donald Trump without a bandage on his right ear, which was injured in an apparent assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, PA, have been published -- and they tend to show no clear damage to the ear. In fact, the ear looks perfectly fine -- no sign of scarring, scabbing, or any other residue from a tissue injury. That has raised new questions about the nature of Trump's injury, on top of questions already swirling around the shooting incident in Pennsylvania and the damage it supposedly caused.

 

Trump ear image2 (AP)

In short, the photographs have added confusion to an event that already was confusing, mainly because of a lack of transparency and clarity on several fronts, including the FBI.  Director Christopher Wray's recent testimony before Congress caused Trump to go into a panic-fueled tantrum. Why did Trump go into a panic over fairly routine remarks by Wray at an already scheduled appearance before Congress? That is one of many unanswered questions surrounding the incident in Butler, PA.

The online news site indy100.com, an arm of The Independent, tries to sort out a jumbled picture. Under the headline "First photos of Trump without ear bandage have everyone saying the same thing," Greg Evans writes:

Trump ear image3 (AP)

 

The first images of Donald Trump without a bandage on his ear have emerged following the failed assassination attempt earlier this month and everyone is marvelling at the lack of stitching or apparent scars on the former president.

After surviving the attempt on his life on July13, which left him with blood pouring from his ear, resulting in an already iconic image, Trump adopted a large white bandage on his ear which he wore to the Republican National Convention just shy of a week later.

The first images of Trump without the bandage came courtesy of a sitdown meeting with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida, amid the highly controversial war in Gaza. 

The images show that Trump's ear appears to be relatively unscathed and doesn't have any scarring or noticeable scabs. In one photo, Trump could even be seen showing Netanyahu where his ear was hit by the bullet.

Although it seems clear that something hit Trump -- he says it was a bullet that pierced the flesh of his right ear --  the lack of noticeable injuries has prompted some observers to question the severity of the former president's injuries.

Comments by Rep. Ronny Jackson, who previously served as Trump's physician were also mocked after he claimed that the bullet had caused a 2 cm wide wound on the former president's ear.

Doubt has recently been cast by FBI director, Christopher Wray, as to whether Trump was hit by a bullet or by shrapnel.

However, Jackson responded to these claims on Truth Social, calling them "wrong and inappropriate," adding: "There is absolutely no evidence that it was anything other than a bullet."

Photos that have emerged in recent days do not seem to square with Jackson's statement, so the public is left to wonder what happened in Pennsylvania to the former president and the Republican Party nominee for the 2024 presidential race.

Trump ear image4 (Reuters)