Republicans Are Wearing Ear Bandages to Copy Trump
Some attendees at the Republican National Convention are wearing fake bandages in an apparent display of solidarity with the former president.
Andrew Harnik
MILWAUKEE— It’s called fashion, look it up.
The Daily Beast on Tuesday spotted a number of attendees at the Republican National Convention wearing bandages over their ears in an apparent act of solidarity with former President Donald Trump—with many predicting that the impromptu trend would only gain steam in the coming days.
Trump made a surprise appearance while sporting his own bandage Monday at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, where the convention is being hosted, walking out to raucous cheers. His arrival came just days after surviving an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, during which a 20-year-old gunman opened fire at Trump from a nearby rooftop.
Trump escaped with only minor injuries to his right ear—his former doctor, Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX), said that he examined the wound Tuesday and said “a little bit” was missing.
“He was lucky though,” the Texas representative said. “It was far enough away from his head that there was no concussive effect from the bullet, and it just took the top of his ear off.”
Former President Donald Trump sports a bandage on his ear after being wounded in an assassination attempt.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images
The bandage worn by Trump, a conspicuous reminder of the attempt on his life, quickly reached high-fashion status at the Republican gathering in Milwaukee in the hours after Trump’s appearance.
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One woman spotted by The Daily Beast styled the bandage with a cowboy hat and a red lanyard featuring pins for the GOP in Texas and Arizona.
A woman at the RNC, who declined to be named, wears a bandage over her right ear.
Jake Lahut
Joe Neglia, a delegate from Tempe, Arizona, gave an interview to CBS News about his own makeshift bandage, which he said was made from an envelope that he fashioned on the way to the convention Tuesday morning. He called it “the newest fashion trend.”
Joe Neglia, a delegate for Arizona, appears with his makeshift bandage made from an envelope.
LEON NEAL
“Everybody in the world is going to be wearing these soon, it’s the latest thing,” Neglia told the network.
In another video posted on X, a man dressed in an Uncle Sam costume wears a fake bandage on his ear while performing a cover of Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.” on a harmonica.
Some dude is playing “Proud to be an American” on harmonica in an Uncle Sam outfit with a bandage on his ear saying “fight fight fight” pic.twitter.com/f8xCn3cdgn
— Eric Michael Garcia (@EricMGarcia) July 16, 2024
Trump survived the assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania after a gunman armed with an AR-15 style rifle fired eight rounds from a nearby rooftop—grazing the former president’s ear, critically injuring two people, and killing one supporter.
The former president arrived at the RNC in Milwaukee, Wisconsin wearing a thick bandage over his ear.
A person has a American flag bandaid on his ear on the first day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Leon Neal/Getty Images
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