A medical expert has debunked online myths circulating about the Donald Trump shooting.
During his speech at a Butler, Pennsylvania, rally on Saturday (July 13) Trump was the target of an assassination attempt. A bullet grazed his right ear as he addressed the crowd.
Approximately six minutes into the speech, the 78-year-old abruptly halted and touched his face before seeking cover. The audience was startled by loud blasts and blood could be seen trickling down Trump’s face before further shots were fired to “neutralise” the attacker, who was later identified 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks.
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(Image: CBS)
The ex-president received medical treatment at a hospital and was discharged before flying back to New Jersey that evening. Described as a “lone wolf”, Crooks is under FBI scrutiny as they continue their investigation into his motives and history.
After the shocking incident, spurious conspiracy theories have emerged with one very populated thread on Twitter/X pointing out the unusual speed that Trump’s blood appeared to “coagulate”.
When the ex-president got to his feet his white shirt still remained pristine, but social media users said there “should be blood spattered all over that white collar.”
(Image: AP)
In a post, influencer ‘Lakota Man’ said: “I cut my ear once and I had to press down hard on it with some tissue to make it stop bleeding. And that took 30 minutes. I’m know I’m a overthinking this. But. Something’s not right about this.”
In an attempt to get to the bottom of these claims, the Daily Star spoke to medical expert Dr Gareth Nye, senior lecturer at Chester Medical school.
Nye went some way to debunk the conspiracy theory put forward by Lakota Man.
“In terms of the ear, although there is blood supply is not as extensive as the rest of the head and face. The blood vessels are also quite narrow so not much blood flow goes through them,” said Nye. “The ear is also incredibly thin and wouldn’t likely cause a bullet too much resistance meaning it would travel straight through.”
(Image: AP)
He added: “Few things I’ve noticed which will explain the apparent lack of blood in this particular injury in addition to the anatomy side.
“The actual wound was small considering the cause, it’s extremely lucky. From still images it seems around 1-2cm wound. Blood spilling from this will not be as dramatic as other locations.
“Trump was brought to the ground with his face in the floor which sent blood down his face towards the floor. You can see streaks in other images. This therefore directed blood away from clothing.”
Nye put forward an alternative situation and explained Trump’s ear may not have been hit directly by the bullet. “An additional explanation, I’m not an expert here, but perhaps the bullet didn’t actually hit his ear but the damage was caused as the bullet went very close to it,” he said.
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