Republican Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson, former White House doctor for Donald Trump, provided a medical update on the former president Saturday, one week after he narrowly survived an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Trump was grazed in the ear by a bullet just minutes into his speech after he turned his head to look at a chart on illegal immigration rates.
In a letter addressed to “concerned citizens of the United States” on X (formerly Twitter), Dr. Jackson wrote that Trump is “doing well” since the shooting.
“I have been with President Trump since that time, and I have evaluated and treated his wound daily. He is doing well,” Jackson wrote. “As reported and witnessed by the entire world, he sustained a gunshot wound to his right ear from a high-powered rifle used by the would-be assassin.”
Despite his recovery, Trump still suffers from “intermittent bleeding,” which requires a dressing to be in place, according to Jackson. The GOP nominee has been seen wearing a white bandage over his ear since his first public appearance on Monday at the Republican National Convention (RNC). Supporters of Trump have been observed wearing similar bandages as a show of solidarity.
Jackson revealed that the bullet “came less than a quarter of an inch” from entering Trump’s head, producing a “2 cm wide wound that extended down the cartilaginous surface of the ear.”
“There was initially significant bleeding,” Jackson said, which resulted in “marked swelling” of Trump’s “entire upper ear.”
Trump was initially treated at Butler Memorial Hospital in Pennsylvania, where he underwent a thorough evaluation for additional injuries, including a CT scan of his head, according to the letter.
Trump will undergo further medical evaluation, including “a comprehensive hearing exam, as needed.” He will also have a follow-up visit “with his primary care physician as directed by the doctors” who initially treated his gunshot wound, Jackson disclosed.
“In summary, former President Trump is doing well, and he is recovering as expected from the gunshot wound sustained last Saturday afternoon,” Jackson wrote. “I am extremely thankful his life was spared. It is an absolute miracle he wasn’t killed.”
Jackson revealed he is traveling with Trump for a Saturday rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The doctor said he will remain with Trump to “provide any medical assistance he needs” until returning Monday to Washington, D.C., and ultimately to his home in Amarillo, Texas.