ANNA MONEYMAKER / AFP
Four days have passed since Donald Trump narrowly escaped death in a shocking assassination attempt, and the public remains in the dark about his injuries and treatment. This silence has raised eyebrows, particularly among former Republican allies. Joe Walsh, a former Tea Party Republican, voiced his concerns on social media, writing, “No medical reports. No doctor’s statements. No information at all on the Republican nominee for President who was shot and injured four days ago. That’s just wrong.”
Walsh continued his criticism, targeting the media’s handling of the situation. “Shitty job media. If it were the Democratic nominee who’d been shot, [Sean] Hannity, et al, would be blowing a gasket,” he said, as reported by The Raw Story. The assassination attempt occurred at a Pennsylvania rally where Trump was seen dropping to the ground, clutching his ear as blood streamed down his face. Despite this, he defiantly pumped his fist to the crowd. His campaign quickly stated he was “fine” and being checked at a local medical facility.
Hours later, Trump himself shared some details on his social media platform, posting, “I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin.” He claimed a bullet had pierced the upper part of his right ear. Journalist Steven Beschloss highlighted the uncertainty, stating, “Trump has posted that his ear was pierced by a bullet, but the sad fact is that he’s an unreliable source. News organizations need to wait for more credible confirmation of what happened.”
Trump appeared at the Republican National Convention with a bandage on his right ear. Despite this, his campaign has remained tight-lipped about his current condition, refusing to release medical reports and keeping his doctors unavailable for comment. This secrecy contrasts sharply with the handling of President Ronald Reagan’s shooting in 1981, where the hospital provided frequent and extensive updates on his condition and treatment.
Some information has trickled out through Trump’s loyalists. Rep. Ronny Jackson, Trump’s former White House doctor, revealed on a podcast that Trump was “missing part of his ear — a little bit at the top,” but assured listeners the wound would heal. Eric Trump, the former president’s son, told CBS that his father had “no stitches but certainly a nice flesh wound.”
The lack of transparency follows a familiar pattern with Trump. Throughout his career, his medical information has rarely been public and has often been cryptic. One notable example is his 2016 release, where he provided only a brief statement from his doctor pronouncing him the “healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.”
The assassination attempt on Trump’s life is the first on a president or former president in over forty years, making the lack of detailed information particularly concerning to many. Given the significance of the event, there is widespread belief that the public deserves to know more about what happened and Trump’s current condition.
