Those close to Donald Trump fear the former president “may have legit PTSD” from the assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally last month.
That’s according to a Vanity Fair report published Wednesday that claimed those in Trump’s inner circle have noticed that he’s become fixated on a seven-second clip that shows the moment he nearly lost his life.
“He’s been watching that seven-second clip of how close he was to getting shot right in the head—over and over and over again,” said a Republican close to the campaign, reported Vanity Fair.
It was that same Republican who suggested Trump may be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, a condition common among soldiers and others who’ve witnessed or experienced a traumatic event. Those who suffer from the condition can be easily startled, be constantly on edge, have difficulty concentrating, and are prone to “aggressive outbursts,” says the National Institute of Mental Health.
The July 13 assassination attempt of Trump came amid a whirlwind month of political news, which included the RNC, the announcement of JD Vance as Trump’s running mate, and, most notably, Joe Biden announcing that he was bowing out of the presidential race.
The moment Donald Trump’s right ear was injured in an assasination attempt earlier this month.
Brendan McDermid/ReutersThat vicious news cycle meant the attempt on Trump’s life quickly took a back seat to other news stories, like Kamala Harris’ surging momentum and the unearthing of controversial past remarks by Vance.
Trump has been notably quieter on the campaign trail in recent weeks, opting to stay at Mar-a-Lago while his running mate tailed Harris at her campaign stops in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin last week. He’s still posted regularly to Truth Social, called into Fox News, and has been apart of two livestreams in August—one with Elon Musk, and the other with the controversial streamer Adin Ross.
Yet that activity pales in comparison to Trump at this point in his campaigns in 2016 and 2020, political analysts have noted. Sources who spoke to Vanity Fair suggested that just might be because of the trauma—or because Trump is gutted he’s no longer facing Biden.
A source who spoke to the magazine claimed Trump has told people close to him that “they cheated by swapping Biden.” In social posts, Trump has suggested that Biden may crash the DNC next week and force himself back to the top of the ticket—something no Democrat or media outlet has suggested.
With Harris overwhelmingly likely to be the Democrats’ candidate in November, some in Trump’s circle, like Roger Stone, have reportedly encouraged the ex-president to attack her on policy and not by calling her “Laffin Kamala” and “Kamabla.”
“I do think it’s counterproductive to call her stupid,” Stone told Vanity Fair.
To push back against the advice from all over, the magazine reported that Trump has told advisers: “I know what I’m doing.”
