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."

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.

Tea Pain
@TeaPainUSA
It was a miracle Trump was able to stay awake during his own speech.
9:27 PM Jul 19, 2024

Does it really matter whether Trump was hit by a bullet vs shrapnel? Crooks was a lousy shot, but he tried to kill Trump.
#21 | POSTED BY CBOB

It matters in that a full accounting of the event would help quell some of the conspiracy theories that are starting to be promoted. For example, this one that I just came across: there was a second shooter in the water tower.

The news media, perhaps accepting his election as a given and hoping for the best, was prepared to take his "transformation" at face value. Merely performing a semblance of normality would have earned Trump an extraordinary wave of positive news coverage.

Here's an example of how the media was prepped for the big change and ready to heap praise on New Trump only to discover New Trump was really old Trump with a slower delivery:

Nate Silver
@NateSilver538
It's a weird but pretty good speech. The past few weeks have gone about as badly as possible for Democrats, and they're likely underdogs against Trump regardless of who they nominate, but the opportunity to reset the campaign with a non-Biden nominee is a twist of good fortune.
11:00 PM Jul 18, 2024

Semi-retract this tweet, this speech is boring AF, but there are worse things politically speaking than being boring.
11:40 PM Jul 18, 2024

FTA:

The prepared remarks, circulated to the national media, came in at a tight 3,000 words. The section in which Trump recounts his near-death experience is recounted in his own fourth-grade level vocabulary, making it highly plausible he personally wrote or dictated the section himself[.]

Trump's speaking style was indeed different--softer, slower, abandoning his carnival barker patter for the tone of a bedtime story. Reporters, following the assumption of a "transformed" Trump they brought into the event, began to write accounts of the softer statesman who had emerged from his brush with death.

But then he began to riff, first occasionally, then in ever-growing chunks of verbal diarrhea. All the familiar tropes from his stump speeches returned. He claimed the election was stolen, lavished praise on dictators, riffed about things he had seen on television ("I watched the other day on a show called Deface the Nation' ... ).

The actual remarks as delivered topped 12,000 words, or four times the prepared text. Trump's 2024 acceptance speech was the longest in recorded history, topping the next two entries (Donald Trump 2016, Donald Trump 2020, respectively). The result was paradoxically incendiary yet dull. The crowd's response was, by the standards of a convention acceptance speech, shockingly sedate.

It's not the party of Ronald Reagan anymore
#4 | POSTED BY LAURAMOHR

No, in their minds, it's God's party:

All week, Republican heavyweights pronounced that God had his hand on Trump, and that this miraculous, divine intervention saved not only Trump's life, but America itself. "GOD protected President Trump yesterday," House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) tweeted Sunday morning. He told right-wing broadcaster Ben Shapiro, "I think God's gonna give our nation another chance, and I think President Trump is gonna be the leader that does that."

For Trump supporters, Trump's survival is decisive proof God is on his side. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, who represents a south Florida district, tweeted a cartoon meme of an angelic hand deflecting a bullet from Trump's head. "Si Dios contigo, quin contra ti?" she wrote. (If God is with you, who can be against you?)

At the Republican National Convention, Trump loyalists lined up to declare a miracle had saved God's chosen one. "The devil came to Pennsylvania holding a rifle," Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina said Monday night. "But the American lion got back up on his feet and he roared!" MAGA star Marjorie Taylor Greene added, "Two days ago, evil came for the man we admire and love so much. I thank God that his hand was on President Trump." Arkansas governor and former Trump White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, "God Almighty intervened, because America is one nation under God, and He is not done with President Trump."

Other Republicans were even more explicit about how the assassination attempt proves that Christians are locked in spiritual warfare against evil enemies. Tucker Carlson, whose floundering post-Fox career has been revitalized by his outsized presence at the RNC, told a Heritage Foundation gathering on Monday that the assassination attempt proved "there is a spiritual battle underway," and warned that forces that are "against Trump" are "hoping to eliminate" Christians, a statement amplified on the Christian Broadcasting Network.Trump campaign spokesperson Caroline Sunshine, appearing on Fox News on Tuesday, called the left "godless," and then cited Ephesians 6:11 and the need for Trump supporters to "put on the full armor of God." In her convention speech Wednesday night, Kimberly Guilfoyle, the fiance of Donald Trump Jr., proclaimed, "God has put an armor of protection on Donald Trump."

"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!"

I am disappointed, disgusted and angry at the Democratic firing squad. Oh, I'm sure they all think they are doing the right thing, but political common sense should be telling them they have been going at this in a totally ass-backwards way:

Allan Lichtman
@AllanLichtman
I have never seen a party so intent on self-destruction as the Democratic Party is right now, trashing their own president and presumptive nominee who was selected by the voters.
Elizabeth de la Vega reposted

Democrats trash their own president and presumptive nominee who was selected by the voters. They do it publicly for weeks on end. Then his polling numbers fall and they say, see he can't win. Talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy.

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."

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.

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.

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.

I don't think we know if his father (a libertarian) or his mother (a Democrat) donated to any candidates or causes.

UPDATE: President Biden just released the following statement:

"I look forward to getting back on the campaign trail next week to continue exposing the threat of Donald Trump's Project 2025 agenda while making the case for my own record and the vision that I have for America: one where we save our democracy, protect our rights and freedoms, and create opportunity for everyone.

"The stakes are high, and the choice is clear. Together, we will win."
12:23 PM Jul 19, 2024

And yet he persists:

Ryan Struyk
@ryanstruyk
New Biden campaign email just now: "Joe Biden has made it more than clear: He's in this race and he's in it to win it. Moreover, he's the presumptive nominee " there is no plan for an alternative nominee. In a few short weeks, Joe Biden will be the official nominee."
9:25 AM Jul 19, 2024

Doesn't it seem more and more that the Republican party, from the Supreme Court justices all the way down to the average voters, is onboard with this country becoming a billionaire-controlled oligarchy rather than a republic/democracy?

Here is video MAGA supporters day is proof Trump was shot in the ear:

David J Harris Jr
@DavidJHarrisJr
Wow! New video shows Trump's ear getting shot by the bullet in slow-motion!

This truly was a miracle we all witnessed friends!

God is with Trump, and all of us that fight for him!

"Humtake, The article was written by noted liberal Republican vice presidential nominee jd Vance"

Yep, 8 years ago to be exact: JULY 4, 2016. So Vance was a woke liberal before he wasn't and became Trump's VP? That might explain why he honored his wife's heritage by donning Indian garb and having their marriage blessed in a Hindu puja:

JD Vance & Usha Vance
Indian wedding day.
Beautiful!

But either way, the shooter's actions cause the death of one person, put two others in the hospital, and resulted in Trump's ear being cut.
#20 | POSTED BY YAV

Agreed.

"Could it be debris that hit him? I think so - however if it was the teleprompter screen that should be obvious. The teleprompter screen would be obliterated. I haven't looked for that in the "after" pics. That'd be interesting to see."

People claim the teleprompters were intact. I've even seen reports that they are designed to be shatterproof. Again, okay, but what caused the flying debris that injured those officers? Maybe they came from the podium and hit those officers but not Trump himself. Could be. Or maybe they weren't injured at all and that report is bogus? IMO, more information is needed.

No, without a medical report or a police report of any kind, it's not petty politics to question if Trump was grazed by a bullet or hit by flying debris just as the cops who were near him were:

UPDATE 4:50 p.m. Sunday

11 Investigates has learned that four Pittsburgh police officers assigned to the former president's motorcade yesterday suffered minor injuries during the shooting.

The four motorcycle officers were part of Donald Trump's escort to and from the rally in Butler.

Sources tell Chief Investigator Rick Earle the officers were just feet away from Trump when shots rang out. The four officers suffered minor injuries from flying debris caused by the bullets.

Sources say the officers were hit with either plastic or metal fragments when the bullets struck objects nearby.

They were treated at the scene. They were okay to escort Trump back to the airport in Pittsburgh last night after he was treated at Butler Memorial Hospital.

This morning on MSNBC Biden's campaign chair said he is staying in the race. Maybe she is saying that to give him more time to decide or so that he can be the one to make the announcement that he is bowing out on Sunday?:

Morning Joe
@Morning_Joe
"We know that people are not moving from Joe Biden to Donald Trump. What they're doing is they're saying to us, 'Can he do it?' And the president is saying, 'Yes, I can.'"

" Biden campaign chair @jomalleydillon on Biden's fight for the vote

The angle seems off to me, but like I said I'm not an expert. If the bullet had grazed the upper part of his ear, would it be seen exiting at that angle and in a fairly straight line?

#13 | POSTED BY SITZKRIEG

Sitz, serious question: I'm not an expert on bullet trajectory, but does the angle of that bullet from Trump's ear indicate that it would have hit the upper part of said ear?:

Sue Huybensz (she/her)
@fairviewsue
This photo was taken by a NY Times photographer using 8000 speed film. It was discovered by his editor later. It proves he was hit by a bullet.