Marshall's article cites the WPIX article I've been posting about the 4 officers near Trump being injured by flying debris and treated at the same Butler hospital at the same time Trump was. What I hadn't realized is that initial reports from PA State Police had indicated Trump was hit by shards of glass. Marshall had previously written on that report several days ago, but I had missed that it. Here is a link to that article:

Still Looking for More Information on This

Here's why I'm still looking for more information on this.

Shortly after the incident occurred, multiple credentialed reporters reported via social media that Trump had been hit by glass or plexiglass shards rather than by a bullet. This was reported by journalists from Axios, The Bulwark, Newsmax, TMZ and others. The clearest sourcing, by Newsmax, attributed this to the Pennsylvania State Police. Another report attributed it to a source who had spoken with the Secret Service. Axios reporter Juliegrace Brufke cited it to a "source familiar" but later deleted her tweet without explanation.

It is important to note that initial reports are frequently wrong in cases like this, and not necessarily because reporters get it wrong themselves but because even law enforcement is working with patchwork and preliminary information. But the way this progressed is that this was all the reporting there was. Then former President Trump posted on Truth Social saying he'd been hit with a bullet. And that was it. That's when the story changed, but there hasn't been any official word on Trump's injuries from law enforcement or the medical team that treat him. It feels like an omission, not in a conspiratorial sense, just a departure from the level of transparency we've come to expect in situations like this, at least until Trump came along.

To be clear, I had assumed Trump's account was accurate and that there would later be some official word with additional details either from local or federal law enforcement or from some medical report. I assume, though I don't know, that an initial medical examination could have determined this. But to the best of my knowledge that has not yet been reported publicly. Maybe I've missed some sourcing for this other than Trump himself. So if you've seen that please send it to me. But from what I can tell everything goes back to Trump's post on Truth Social.

At a minimum it seems like there should be some explanation of what the incorrect reports were based on, especially if it involves deleting a breaking news tweet without explanation. But again, fog of war. Initial reports are often wrong. Nothing to be ashamed of, etc.

PS My own interest in the events surrounding the assassination attempt, preceded the shooting. Because I have family living in Butler (County), PA, I was following along with reporting on the rally several hours before Trump was scheduled to speak. After the shooting, I continued to follow the reporting because my famly members know people who attended the rally and because the shooter was from Bethel Park where my father had lived when I was growing up. IOW, I took an extra interest because where the location and family connections. I certainly believe Trump was shot at and injured, either directly or indirectly, by the shots Crooks aimed at him.

They must know where all the bullets landed by now. Hinkley missed Reagan with every shot he fired but they do know what he hit.
#2 | POSTED BY REDIAL

Yes, I was wondering if they had looked for and found the bullets Crooks fired before he was killed.

Face it
The GOP staged all this

Well, when you read sh--stuff like this, I can see why some folks would say, "Hmmmm":

Making A Messiah: Allies Cast Trump As Divine Commander Following Assassination Attempt

Less than 24 hours after Donald Trump survived an assassin's bullet in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, Jack Posobiec, the far-right conspiracy theorist and MAGA rabble-rouser, tweeted a Bible verse. "The bullets were fired at 6:11pm," Posobiec, who is Catholic, wrote. "Ephesians 6:11." The Bible verse, which reads, "Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes," is key to the spiritual warfare that Christian nationalists have made the centerpiece of Trumpian politics. They pit Trumpism against democracy in a cosmic showdown between the godly and the demonic, believing they are on a divine mission to save a debased America from the evil left, with Trump as God's battle commander.

Posobiec's Sunday morning lesson in numerology and spiritual warfare took off like wildfire in MAGA circles. For the Trump faithful who believe God anointed him president and, after the attempt on his life, that God protected him from death, there are no coincidences--only miracles, signs, and wonders. Charlie Kirk, the founder of the far-right Turning Point USA and a fellow denizen of the conspiratorial fever swamps of X, chimed in on Posobiec's tweet. "Armor of God," he replied, just in case Posobiec's meaning was lost on anyone. "The next verse is this: For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.'" For good measure, Posobiec replied to Kirk, quoting the next verse, Ephesians 6:13. "Therefore, put on the armor of God," he concluded, "that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground."

"Let me get my shoes!"
First thing anyone thinks about when they're under fire and their ear has been ripped through by a bullet.

Ditto standing up with your bloody ear and head exposed again and fist-pumping, "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Heidi Przybyla
@HeidiReports
Lack of medical readout about Trump's injury is not normal. (Jonathan Reiner, who advised George W. Bush medical team, on @CNN):

"It doesn't comfort me" that Trump was hit in the head with a "high-velocity projectile and we know nothing about it," he said, citing concussive energy near the brain, among other concerns.

Mike Sington
@MikeSington

CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is calling for a "public assessment" of Donald Trump's gunshot injury. He says "the concern is that gunshot blasts near the head can cause injuries that aren't immediately noticeable, such as bleeding in or on the brain, damage to the inner ear, or even psychological trauma."

Here's an analysis that lays out how the assassination attempt unfolded. I can't verify it's veracity, but it seems plausible to someone like me with absolutely no expertise. Alexander claims that Trump was grazed by the first shot and then barely misses being hit by the next two shots that were part of the first volley. If this analysis is correct, it means Crooks that was a indeed good shot and that Trump was saved because he turned his head at just the right second:

Analysis of footage from the Trump assassination attempt shows that Trump and David Dutch were hit in Crook's initial 3 shot volley. Corey Comperatore and James Copenhaver were struck by Crook's follow-up volley a few seconds later. (1/8)

This wide angle recorded by the Right Side Broadcasting Network shows the entire event unfold and shows all 3 bystanders get struck by Crook's bullets. (2/8)

#13 trying too hard to force the issue.
Eventually, he'll have to make a public appearance without the bandage. Then we'll see either a chunk of missing ear or we won't.
#16 | POSTED BY JPW

I don't think Dr. Sanjay Gupta is trying too hard to force the issue. He wrote a thoughtful article on the need to know more about Trump's medical condition:

There are still key questions about Trump's injuries after attempted assassination

A full public assessment of Trump's injuries is necessary, for both the former president's own health and the clarity it can provide for voters about the recovery of the man who could become president of the United States once again. The concern is that gunshot blasts near the head can cause injuries that aren't immediately noticeable, such as bleeding in or on the brain, damage to the inner ear or even psychological trauma. As a trauma neurosurgeon, I have seen how a thorough evaluation after any kind of gunshot wound can provide a complete picture and lead to a speedier recovery.

Former President Donald Trump's son, Eric Trump, said his father doesn't have stitches after he was shot in an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania over the weekend, but that he has a "nice flesh wound" from the shooting.

"It would have punched a .223 caliber hole and nothing more, same as it does to a piece of cardboard holding a target."

Your ears lie pretty close to your head. How far out would his ear have to have been sticking for the bullet to have made such a hole without also leaving a mark somewhere on his face and/or scalp?

Reiterating it doesn't change the fact he's reaching.
Gun shot blast near the head? Really?
It was, at best, a graze from a round fired 125 meters away.
#23 | POSTED BY JPW

So you are saying Gupta is wrong when he writes?:

"We do know that the shooter used an AR-15-style weapon, and in my experience in the operating room, I've witnessed the kind of trauma this weapon can cause. The kinetic energy of it is significant: A rifle like the AR-15 can produce up to 1,300 foot-pounds of force. With that much power close to the head, there can be injuries beyond what's visible."

because the gun was fired from so far away?

Another doctor speaks out on the need for more info on Trump's shooting injuries:

Trump was for Harris before he was agaisnt her:

Donald actually donated to Kamala several times. There's a nice image of his check that he endorsed.

Sorry, wrong thread.

Love it:

Michael Steele
@MichaelSteele
So when Trump wrote that check to re-elect Kamala Harris in 2011, I bet he didn't think she'd cash it in 2024!

Bellringer isn't up to date on the latest GOP talking points:

Ron Johnson tells Bartiromo "I've seen some pretty interesting video on the internet by experts that certainly calls into question what the FBI is telling us about a single shooter."

"The gop shot their wad too soon."

Perhaps:

Charlie Sykes
@SykesCharlie
Remember: This was the week we were supposed to see Trumps convention bump ... post-shooting surge.

Political Polls
@Politics_Polls
2024 National GE:

Harris 42% (+4)
Trump 38%
Kennedy 8%

He's giving it time to grow back before he unveils it. ;-)

Looking more like it was flying debris:

John Harwood
@JohnJHarwood
FBI Director Wray on Trump's injury from the assassination attempt:

"There's some question about whether or not it's a bullet or shrapnel that hit his ear."

underscores the question of why a former president injured in an assassination attempt won't put forward the doctors who treated him to say exactly what the injury was

Here's the rest of Marshall's post:

2/ It seems quite possible to me that no one has any idea what hit Trumps ear. So Trump just said it was a bullet. I know that an editor at a major news org told a colleague that they figure it was Trumps personal opinion but it wasn't worth getting into a fight with the ...

3/ campaign over. It is not the central part of the story precisely how Trump was injured. Someone tried to shoot him and could well have succeeded. But it is simply absurd to run with a social media post from Trump himself. Even though Trump was the target of an assassination ...

4/ attempt that doesn't change the fact that he is a notoriously self promoting pathological liar. Is this even a controversial statement? I think even many of his supporters would concede this point. He now routinely says that he "took a bullet for democracy", a really ...

5/ grotesque statement. It now appears quite likely that not even true in the narrow sense of the claim. Government officials have clearly been leery of contradicting Trump on this point for obvious reasons. I haven't seen yet precisely what question Wray was responding to ...

6/ and how much that forced the matter. Again, not a huge part of the story. But we should get some account from actual law enforcement on what happened. Now it appears we have, under duress. Reporters usually demand an almost absurd level of detail ...

7/ on this kind of stuff. It's really an embarrassment that this was handled - press-wise - the way it has been.

MSM just capitulating to Trump because "it wasn't worth getting into a fight with the campaign over" doesn't bode well if there is a second Trump term.

Josh Marshall
@joshtpm
Here's the Q and A where FBI Director Wray says they don't know whether Trump was grazed by a bullet or flying debris, "shrapnel" to use his exact word. Even this comment seems generous. But watch the interchange for yourself.