Which photos and videos from July 13–16, 2024 show the ear injury and how have they been authenticated?

1. The rally footage and immediate photos that show blood on the right ear

Live news footage and photographer images captured the moment during the July 13 Butler rally when Trump flinched, touched his right ear and was then shielded by Secret Service; Reuters and USA Today noted that news footage and photos from the immediate aftermath show blood on his right ear, and USA Today reported that the visual record consistently depicts the right ear as the injured site ^{[1] [5] [6]}.

2. The RNC appearance showing a bandage over the right ear — verified in multiple streams and wire photos

On July 15–18 at the RNC in Milwaukee, Trump appeared publicly with a thick bandage over his right ear; the Republican Party’s official livestream and several news agency photos (Reuters, AP) matching the same moments — including a handshake sequence cited by Reuters — were used to corroborate that the bandage covered the right ear and was not a mirror or left‑ear artifact ^[1].

3. How fact‑checkers authenticated the timing and provenance of images

Reporters and fact‑checkers authenticated or debunked viral images by tracing original publication dates and archive records; Reuters identified photographs circulating as “no‑injury” images that in fact dated to 2022 and 2017 using wire archives and reverse‑image checks ^{[2] [3]}, Full Fact and PolitiFact confirmed a golf video screenshot was filmed before July 13 ^{[7] [8]}, and fact‑check teams used the RNC livestream timestamp to match the genuine scene shown in the party’s broadcast to the camera angles used in altered clips ^[1].

4. Altered and flipped videos that targeted the left ear — and how they were exposed

Several viral posts showed footage flipped horizontally or edited to display a bandage on the left ear, implying a hoax; Reuters and USA Today documented that manipulated clips rotated the frame to present the uninjured left ear as if it were the injured side, while fuller views of the RNC livestream and agency photos make clear the real footage shows a bandage on the right ear ^{[1] [5]}.

5. Medical and official corroboration used alongside imagery

Beyond photos and video, the campaign released a medical memo from former White House physician Rep. Ronny Jackson reporting a roughly 2cm wound to the right ear and hospital evaluation including a head CT; Axios cited the campaign’s memo and photos of Trump with a bandage on the right ear as part of the contemporaneous record ^[4]. Subsequent reporting summarized investigators’ findings that a bullet or fragment struck the ear, providing further non‑visual corroboration referenced by USA Today ^[6].

6. What was discredited: old photos and out‑of‑context golfing footage

Numerous social posts that argued Trump’s ear was “magically healed” or never injured relied on screenshots from older rallies or a golf video filmed before July 13; Reuters, Full Fact and PolitiFact traced those images to earlier dates and rated the claims misleading or false, showing those stills did not contradict the contemporaneous injury evidence ^{[2] [3] [7] [8]}.

7. Limits of available reporting and outstanding questions

Open reporting authenticated key images and footage using timestamps, wire archives, official livestreams and medical briefings, but independent forensic access to original camera metadata or law‑enforcement bodycam files was not detailed in the cited fact checks; reporting therefore relies on cross‑referencing public agency photos, livestreams and medical statements rather than publishing raw forensic datasets ^{[1] [2] [4]}.