Trump was struck by bullet in assassination attempt, FBI says

CNN —

The FBI said Friday that Donald Trump was hit by a bullet, or a fragment from one, fired by the would-be assassin at his Pennsylvania rally earlier this month.

“What struck former President Trump in the ear was a bullet, whether whole or fragmented into smaller pieces, fired from the deceased subject’s rifle,” the bureau said in a statement.

The department’s confirmation Friday that the former president was struck in the ear by a bullet marks its latest attempt to quell a political uproar. The new statement is the most direct yet from federal law enforcement about Trump’s injury, though it changes little in practical terms.

Some law enforcement officials – including FBI Director Christopher Wray – have previously said publicly that it was unclear whether Trump was hit by a bullet or by shrapnel, which is a fragmented piece of ammunition. Other officials questioned whether Trump had been struck by a bullet at all, or whether he was hit by a piece of glass or even injured while falling down.

“As I said, I think with respect to former President Trump, there’s some question about whether or not it’s bullet or shrapnel that hit his ear,” Wray testified before Congress earlier this week.

Questions about Trump’s wound have stoked political backlash, as the former president has said he “took a bullet for democracy” and attacked Wray on his social media platform over his testimony.

For his part, Trump has repeatedly asserted that he was hit by an in-tact bullet, writing on his Truth Social platform that “it was, unfortunately, a bullet that hit my ear, and hit it hard.”

“There was no glass, there was no shrapnel. The hospital called it a ‘bullet wound to the ear,’ and that is what it was. No wonder the once