The New York Times and Donald Trump’s personal physician, Ronny Jackson, have both concluded that the former president was indeed struck by a bullet during the recent campaign rally shooting, contrary to FBI Director Christopher Wray’s suggestion that it may have been “shrapnel.” Wray’s statement seemed to validate theories circulating online since the incident, which claimed that Trump was hit by broken glass from his teleprompter rather than a bullet fired by the gunman.
In response to Wray’s testimony, Trump shared a letter from Dr. Jackson on his Truth Social platform, stating that “there is no evidence that it was anything other than a bullet,” and criticizing Wray for suggesting otherwise. Dr. Jackson, who served as an Emergency Medicine physician in the U.S. Navy for over 20 years, emphasized his experience with treating gunshot wounds to bolster his statement.
The New York Times also published an article supporting Jackson’s assessment, noting that a detailed analysis of bullet trajectories, footage, photos, and audio strongly suggests that Trump was grazed by the first of eight bullets fired by the gunman. A 3D model of the rally grounds and trajectory analysis show that the bullet traveled in a straight line from the gunman to the bleachers, hitting Trump on its path. This indicates that the bullet was not deflected after striking an object that would have sprayed debris onto Trump.
The assailant, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, killed one spectator and injured two others before being shot dead by Secret Service snipers. Trump briefly rose to his feet and pumped his fist in the air after being led away from the stage by Secret Service agents, with blood visible on his face and ear.
In the days following the shooting, Republicans criticized the Secret Service for failing to secure Crooks’ rooftop vantage point and apparently disregarding reports of an armed Crooks crawling around on the roof minutes before opening fire. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned on Tuesday, admitting responsibility for “the most significant operational failure at the Secret Service in decades.
Speaking to Fox News, Trump expressed frustration with the Secret Service’s handling of the situation, stating that they shouldn’t have allowed him to go on stage and claiming that different groups of people knew about the threat from Crooks.