Donald Trump’s first rally since an assassination attempt clipped his right ear hit almost every one of his signatures; shade thrown at his opponent, Joe Biden, attacks on election security and his ever-present red tie and suit.
The only detail missing in action was the white bandage on his right ear, which he swapped out for a smaller, fleshed-colored one at the campaign rally in Michigan on Saturday.
Trump’s decision to ditch the bulky bandage comes the same day his former White House physician, Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX), shared an update on the former president’s healing process.
“The swelling has since resolved, and the wound is beginning to granulate and heal properly,” Jackson wrote in a memo Saturday morning. Jackson said earlier this week that the original bandage was bulky because the area where Trump was shot at naturally bleeds profusely.
Donald Trum[, with the former version of a bandage on his ear after he was injured during an assassination attempt, speaks onstage during the last day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 18, 2024.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
The bandage swap was particularly notable because attendees at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this past week have made wearing a white bandage on their ear a badge of honor, showcasing their solidarity with Trump.
The trend was continued at the Michigan rally on Saturday, with supporters in the crowd seen sporting a white bandage.
Trump reflected on the assassination attempt, telling the crowd, “I begin this evening with a very special thanks to Americans nationwide including all of you here today for your extraordinary outpouring of love and support in the wake of the horrific last Saturday event.”
“And when you think of it, it was exactly one week ago today, almost to the hour, even to the minute,” he said. “Terrible, incredible. What a day it was. As I said earlier this week, I stand before you only by the grace of Almighty God. I shouldn’t be here.
“They keep saying, ‘He’s a threat to democracy,’” Trump explained.
“I’m saying, ‘What the hell did I do for democracy? Last week I took a bullet for democracy. What did I do against democracy?’ Crazy,” he continued to a roaring crowd. “Crazy.”