Does a video show former President Donald Trump playing golf with an undamaged ear 10 days after an assassination attempt on July 13, 2024? No, that's not true: The photo in a social media post was taken from a video recorded the week before the shooting, the video's creator said in a public statement. FBI records confirm Trump's injuries, which his former White House physician also documented.
A version of the claim appeared in a post on X on July 23, 2024, showing a photograph of Trump (archived here). A caption with the photo read:
And just like magic, his ear is HEALED, folks!
This is how the post appeared at the time of writing:
(Source: X screenshot taken Tue July 23 11:44:12 2024 UTC)
The photo came from a TikTok by professional golfer Bryson DeChambeau on July 22, 2024 (archived here). At the 15-second mark, Trump is shown in the same screenshot as above:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken Wed July 23 10:40:40 2024 UTC)
After Lead Stories tried to contact DeChambeau, the pro golfer posted a statement to X on July 23, 2024 (archived here), that read:
To confirm and clear any speculation, the Break 50 video with @realDonaldTrump was filmed during the first week of July, before I traveled overseas and prior to the incident that occurred in Butler, PA.
This is how that post appeared at the time of writing:
(Source: X screenshot taken Wed July 24 09:59:53 2024 UTC)
DeChambeau's TikTok was shared as a teaser for a full video he published on YouTube on July 23, 2024, titled, "Can I Break 50 With President Donald Trump?" A caption with the video read:
I attempted to Break 50 from the red tees with former President Donald Trump...
The FBI confirmed in a press release issued on July 14, 2024, (archived here) that Trump had been injured during the shooting. After he was shot in the right ear during an attempted assassination on July 13, 2024, Trump appeared the next day at the Republican National Convention wearing a white bandage.
Rep. Ronny Jackson, a former White House physician, shared an update on Trump's gunshot wound in a memo published on July 20, 2024 (archived here). It read, in part:
The bullet passed, coming less than a quarter of an inch from entering his head, and struck the top of his right ear. The bullet track produced a 2 cm wide wound that extended down to the cartilaginous surface of the ear. There was initially significant bleeding, followed by marked swelling of the entire upper ear. The swelling has since resolved, and the wound is beginning to granulate and heal properly. Based on the highly vascular nature of the ear, there is still intermittent bleeding requiring a dressing to be in place. Given the broad and blunt nature of the wound itself, no sutures were required.
Lead Stories also debunked a social media video that claimed to show Trump playing golf on July 14, 2024, a day after he was struck in the ear during an attempted assassination.
