No, this clip doesn't show bullet hitting Trump's ear | Fact check

The claim: Video shows bullet piercing Trump's ear in rally shooting

A July 18 Threads post ( direct link , archive link ) purports to show footage of the moment former President Donald Trump was injured in an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania. The clip shows a close-up shot of a black mark materializing on what appears to be Trump's right ear.

"BREAKING: VIDEO SHOWS bullet punching a hole through Trump's ear!" the post's caption reads.

Similar posts were shared on Instagram and X, formerly Twitter .

More from the Fact-Check Team: How we pick and research claims | Email newsletter | Facebook page Fact check roundup: False claims about Trump rally shooting spread online

Our rating: Altered

The video is altered. The footage is flipped and shows Trump's left ear, which didn't appear to be hit by gunfire or otherwise injured at the rally. It was Trump's right ear that was hurt and bloodied.

Trump's right ear was injured in shooting, but mirrored clip shows his left ear

A gunman fired multiple shots toward the stage where Trump was speaking at a campaign rally July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania, leaving the former president injured, one spectator dead and two others seriously hurt.

News footage and photographs show Trump reached for his right ear before he went to the ground and was covered by Secret Service agents. His right ear was visibly bloodied as agents ushered him off the stage. Trump said in a Truth Social post that a bullet pierced the upper part of his right ear, and he appeared throughout the Republican National Convention with a bandage on his right ear .

The clip in the Threads post doesn't show a bullet hitting Trump's right ear, however. The footage is flipped and shows his left ear, as evidenced by the reversed American flag and backward text seen on his "Make America Great Again" hat.

The hat Trump was wearing at the rally also had "45-47" inscribed on its right side . This inscription isn't seen in the mirrored clip. The American flag, which is visible in the video, was stitched on the left side of his hat .

Fact check : Image shows Trump at golf course days before shooting

There are no credible news reports about Trump's left ear being hit by gunfire or hurt in the shooting. Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson , Trump's former White House physician, did not mention such an injury in a memo he released July 20 after examining Trump.

USA TODAY could not confirm the source of the video. It wasn't clear whether the black mark that materializes on Trump's left ear in the clip was edited into the footage.

The Threads user who shared the footage did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Our fact-check sources:

• CNN, July 15, CNN investigation breaks down how assassination attempt unfolded minute-by-minute
• ABC News, July 14, Video shows moment of assassination attempt at Trump rally
• Secret Service, July 13, Secret Service Statements Regarding Violence at the July 13, 2024, Trump Campaign Rally
• FBI, July 14, Update on the FBI Investigation of the Attempted Assassination of Former President Donald Trump
• Getty Images, July 14, US-POLITICS-VOTE
• Getty Images, July 14, US-POLITICS-VOTE
• Getty Images, July 16, TOPSHOT-US-REPUBLICAN-CONVENTION-PARTIES-ELECTION-POLITICS-VOTE
• Getty Images, July 14, TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-VOTE
• The Associated Press, July 17, TESTIMONIAL: AP PHOTOGRAPHER BEHIND THE TRUMP SHOOTING PICTURE
• The New York Times, July 14, Photo Appears to Capture Path of Bullet Used in Assassination Attempt
• Donald Trump, July 13, Truth Social post
• Ronny Jackson, July 20, X post
• The Leaven, July 15, Catholic, civic leaders call for peace, unity following Trump assassination attempt

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No, this clip doesn't show bullet hitting Trump's ear | Fact check