Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was photographed without an ear bandage on Saturday, sparking speculation.
The photo, taken by Alex Brandon of the Associated Press on July 27 and shared on X (formerly Twitter) by photojournalist Pete Souza, shows President Trump climbing the steps of an airplane with a seemingly fully healed ear wound, just weeks after being shot with a high-powered rifle.
On July 12, gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire at President Trump’s campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, killing firefighter Corey Comperatore, wounding President Trump in his upper right ear, and severely wounding two others.
Souza, best known for serving as the official White House chief photographer for Presidents Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama, posted a photo of Brandon on his now-defunct X account on Saturday, writing, “AP photo from this morning. Look closely at his ear where it was ‘hit’ by an AR-15 assault rifle bullet.”
Republican presidential candidate and former president Donald Trump boards a plane on July 27. Photos of Trump’s ear, seemingly healed just two weeks after sustaining a bullet wound, have drawn public attention. Republican presidential candidate and former president Donald Trump boards a plane on July 27. Photos of Trump’s ear, seemingly healed just two weeks after sustaining a bullet wound, have drawn public attention. Alex Brandon/The Associated Press
Souza’s post came after FBI Director Christopher Wray speculated last week about whether Trump’s ear was hit by a bullet or shrapnel. The FBI later confirmed that Trump was hit by a bullet. Trump has made several public appearances since the assassination attempt with his ear bandaged.
Souza’s profile, @PeteSouza, which has more than 200,000 followers, currently says “This account does not exist. Please search for another account,” suggesting that Souza deleted or deactivated his account. If Souza had been banned, it would say “Account suspended. X suspends accounts that violate X’s rules.”
Newsweek reached out to Souza and X via email outside business hours seeking comment.
On Saturday night, journalist David Leavitt shared a screenshot of Souza’s post and account, which at the time read, “We’re experiencing a problem.”
“Prominent photojournalist and White House photographer is ‘no longer there’ on Twitter after posting an Associated Press photo of Donald Trump,” he wrote.
A well-known photojournalist and White House photographer took to Twitter to say that after posting an Associated Press photo of Donald Trump, “it doesn’t exist anymore.” pic.twitter.com/AfHqoZKrue
โ David Leavitt ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐งโโ๏ธ๐ (@David_Leavitt) July 28, 2024
Late Saturday, Leavitt posted a close-up of another photo showing Trump’s seemingly intact ear, with an Associated Press watermark. “Donald Trump doesn’t want you to see this,” he wrote. “Don’t share photos of his ear.” The post had been viewed 1.9 million times by Monday.
In a close-up photo shared by Leavitt, Trump’s hair covers the top of his injured ear. In contrast, in a photo shared by Souza of Brandon, the top of Trump’s ear is visible. The injury appears to be mostly healed, with only a slight change in skin color.
Souza and Leavitt are not the only ones speculating about the gunshot wound Trump received from X.
Podcast host Jack Hopkins reposted Brandon’s photo, writing, “The assassination attempt was only 14 days ago. Trump is 78 years old. A 78 year old person recovers much slower.”
“I believe we are being lied to,” he said, referencing his experience as a nurse in a nursing home where he saw the scars. The post had been viewed 7.1 million times as of Monday.
@andrealynn_rn2, a self-described “anti-establishment” X-user, posted another photo of Trump on Saturday. “His ear miraculously healed in just 14 days after being ‘grazed by a bullet,'” she wrote. “Everyone should be questioning this.”
The post had been viewed 615,000 times as of Monday.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom, seeking common ground and finding connections.