A recent New York Times analysis of the attempted assassination of President Trump at a July 13 campaign rally suggests that the first of eight bullets fired by the gunman most likely struck Trump in the ear, after FBI Investigators have raised the possibility that debris, rather than a bullet, caused the injury.
The Times reported Friday that its examination of bullet trajectory, video, audio, and photo evidence “strongly suggests” the gunman's first shot “grazed” Trump's ear. Analysts for the paper indicated that at least three of the shots came close to seriously injuring the president.
Trump, who was photographed bleeding from the right side of his head moments after the attack, has maintained since the incident that a bullet struck him. The attack resulted in the death of one of his supporters and serious injuries to two others.
On Thursday, senior Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller shared a memo from Dr. Ronny Jackson, the former presidential physician for Trump and Barack Obama. Jackson wrote that after reviewing medical records from the incident, he confirmed that Trump had been treated for a “gunshot wound to the right ear.”
“Having served as an Emergency Medicine physician for over 20 years in the United States Navy, including as a combat physician on the battlefield in Iraq, I have treated many gunshot wounds in my career,” Jackson stated. “Based on my direct observations of the injury, my relevant clinical background, and my significant experience evaluating and treating patients with similar wounds, I completely concur with the initial assessment and treatment provided by the doctors and nurses at Butler Memorial Hospital on the day of the shooting.”
However, investigators have suggested that it may have been debris rather than a bullet. FBI Director Christopher Wray testified during a House hearing this week, “There’s some question about whether or not it’s a bullet or shrapnel that hit his ear.”
Jackson disagreed, writing in the memo, “There is absolutely no evidence that it was anything other than a bullet. Congress should correct the record as confirmed by both the hospital and myself. Director Wray is wrong and inappropriate to suggest anything else.”
Wray's statement prompted a sharp response from Trump, who criticized Wray on his social media platform, Truth Social. “FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress yesterday that he wasn’t sure if I was hit by shrapnel, glass, or a bullet (the FBI never even checked!), but he was sure that Crooked Joe Biden was physically and cognitively ‘uneventful’ – Wrong!” wrote Trump, who nominated Wray for the directorship in 2017.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told NBC News on Thursday that evidence showed it was a bullet that went through Trump's ear, suggesting Wray had “a credibility problem.” Johnson stated, “We've all seen the video, we've seen the analysis, we've heard it from multiple sources in different angles that a bullet went through his ear. I'm not sure it matters that much.”
The FBI's Shooting Reconstruction Team is still examining evidence from the scene, including recovered bullet fragments. Crooks fatally struck 50-year-old Corey Comperatore and critically wounded David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74.
