Plastic Surgeon Tells Us Why Trump's Ear Looks 'Impressive' One Year After Assassination Attempt

While on the campaign trail in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump was injured in an assassination attempt. The incident ultimately took the life of a husband and father, Corey Comperatore, and left several others injured. In the chaos of the moment, Trump didn't realize he'd been hit in the ear. A lip reader even confirmed that Trump's first words after getting grazed suggested that he needed to be informed he was indeed bleeding. In the days that followed, Trump was able to secure the nomination and was seen sporting a bandage over his right ear.

Around that time there was much speculation as to whether or not Trump would undergo any form of cosmetic surgery to repair the damage caused, as well as criticism as to how quickly Trump removed the bandage. With the one year anniversary upon us, The List decided to reach out to a plastic surgeon to inquire as to how the healing process for the president's injury seems to have gone. Certified member of the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Dr. Frederick Weniger, spoke with us regarding how Trump's recovery is going, and whether or not Trump had any extra work done on the ear. Since Trump is not a patient of Dr. Weniger's, we used photos to best assess the current outcome. Dr. Weniger reminded us that "an in-person evaluation would always provide the most accurate assessment," but even still, he's impressed with the current state of Trump's ear.

Upon looking at recent photos of President Donald Trump's right ear, Dr. Frederick Weniger noted that it "appears to be a well-healed wound." He pointed out the lack of "active redness or swelling," which would "suggest healing problems." However, there's still a fair amount of rough terrain at the top of the ear, where Trump sustained the most damage. Dr. Weniger saw some skin that appeared "shiny" which could indicate the ear "healed with scar tissue where skin was missing." But he did point out that photographs can be hard to read in this regard.

As for whether or not Trump received any plastic surgery on his injury, Dr. Weniger could find "no clear indication that a surgical reconstructive procedure was performed." Although, once again, without being able to treat Trump in person, Dr. Weniger noted it's difficult to make an official assessment; however, Dr. Weniger thinks the impacted areas may well have closed up on their own. Should Trump ever become dissatisfied with his recovery, "a surgery can always be done at a later date," the doctor reminded.

While Trump's ego never really took a hit, it is nice to hear that none of the photos "show evidence of scars." In fact, Dr. Weniger stated that "the final appearance is impressive," especially when taking into account the type of injury that can be caused by ballistics.