Post-rally photo of Donald Trump without ear bandage sparks speculation on X
Former White House photographer, Pete Souza, has deleted his account on the social platform X (formerly Twitter) after receiving backlash over a controversial post about former US President Donald Trump’s ear. The post, which featured a photo of Trump’s ear supposedly taken after a shooting at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, led to intense criticism and accusations of promoting a conspiracy theory.
In the post, Souza questioned the extent of Trump’s wound from the 13 July 2024 rally shooting. He shared a photo taken by Alex Brandon of the Associated Press (AP) of Trump boarding his plane and urged users to look “closely” at the former president’s ear, which was allegedly struck by a bullet. Souza wrote: “Look closely at the ear that was ‘hit’ by a bullet from an AR-15 assault rifle.”
Just to give you a little reminder, Souza’s career has been marked by his ability to capture significant and intimate moments, providing a unique perspective on the presidency. He is best known for his work as the chief White House photographer during former President Barack Obama’s administration. Souza has also published a book titled Obama: An Intimate Portrait, featuring over 300 of his most iconic photographs of Obama.
However, his recent involvement in the controversy surrounding Trump’s ear injury highlights the challenges and consequences of engaging in political discourse on social media.
Following the shooting, Trump was seen wearing a bandage over his right ear. However, in the photo shared by Souza, Trump’s ear appeared unbandaged and unscathed. This post quickly drew criticism and sparked widespread speculation, with many people noticing the seemingly uninjured appearance of the politician’s ear. Some critics claimed that the photo was taken at a different time, while other supporters of Souza’s post argued that the image raised valid questions about the extent of Trump’s injury, fueling further debate.
The controversy grew so much that netizens started to create an X hashtag, #FreePeteSouza, in response.
#FreePeteSouza a photo doesn't lie if someone hasn't meddled with it. Souza is qualified to comment on what a photo shows if anyone is.
— Susan W. Kramer, Esq. (@kramer_susan) July 28, 2024
Souza then shared another photo from New York Times photographer Doug Mills, taken at the same time and place, to support his claim: “Doug is one of Trump’s favourite photographers and has publicly called him ‘my genius photographer.’ So I thought the MAGA world would at least believe Doug Mills. They didn’t,” Souza wrote on Instagram.
The backlash intensified, with many comments turning ugly and targeting both Souza and Mills. The former, who is accustomed to receiving negative comments, expressed concern that his post had exposed Mills to hateful messages. “Not cool,” he wrote, explaining his decision to deactivate his X account.
Souza also clarified that X owner Elon Musk did not remove him from the platform, despite some users suggesting otherwise. He stated that he received a text from The New York Times asking if he had a comment about being kicked off X. “It was time to respond. I have so much more I want to say about the state of social media, but for now, I want to make it clear that I was not kicked off Twitter. I kicked myself off,” he wrote in his Instagram post.
As of now, the FBI has confirmed that Trump was grazed by a bullet, not shrapnel or glass, as some had speculated. The shooter, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, left one person dead and wounded three others, including Trump.
