A former physician to Donald Trump revealed it’s an ‘absolute miracle he wasn’t killed’ after examining his ear post-assassination attempt.
Ronny L Jackson, 57, met Trump, 78, in Bedminster, New Jersey following his near-death experience to ‘personally check on him.’
‘I am extremely thankful his life was spared,’ Jackson wrote in a Saturday letter, uploaded to Truth Social by Trump. ‘It was an absolute miracle he wasn’t killed.’
The doctor said Trump sustained a two-centimeter – roughly one inch – gunshot wound during last week’s attempted assassination
Jackson revealed the Republican nominee had to undergo a CT scan of his head in Pennsylvania after the bullet clipped his ear, and that his injury continues ‘intermittent bleeding,’ which requires him to keep his bandage on – which has since become a symbol of solidarity among his supporters.
The memo from former White House physician Ronny Jackson, now a hardline right-wing lawmaker from Texas, is one of the first detailed accounts of the injury Trump sustained when Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, opened fire at a rally in Pennsylvania one week ago, killing one bystander and wounding two others.
Ronny L Jackson met Trump, 78, in Bedminster, New Jersey following his near-death experience to ‘personally check on him.’ He said: ‘I am extremely thankful his life was spared. ‘It was an absolute miracle he wasn’t killed’
Jackson revealed the Republican nominee had to undergo a CT scan of his head after the bullet clipped his ear, and that his injury continues ‘intermittent bleeding,’ which requires him to keep his bandage on – which has since become a symbol of solidarity among his supporters
‘There was initially significant bleeding, followed by marked swelling of the entire upper ear. The swelling has since resolved, and the wound is beginning to granulate and heal properly,’ Jackson said in a letter.
He also said the former president will have to undergo additional exams, including a ‘comprehensive hearing exam.’
The 45th President of the United States was initially treated at Butler Memorial Hospital in Pennsylvania, which Jackson praised for their ‘outstanding care’ and ‘excellent job of evaluating him and treating his wound.’
‘In summary, Former President Trump is doing well, and he is recovering as expected from the gunshot wound sustained last Saturday afternoon,’ Jackson said.
Jackson, who retired from the Navy as a rear admiral last year, was first appointed to the White House medical unit under former president George W. Bush, then became the president’s doctor in 2013, under Barack Obama
The medical physician will head to Grand Rapids, Michigan, with Trump and ‘remain by his side throughout the weekend to provide any medical assistance he needs.’
Jackson will return to Washington DC on Monday, before heading back to Amarillo, Texas, where he lives, by the end of the week.
Crooks attempted to assassinate Trump as he spoke at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last Saturday.
He was shot dead by Secret Service sharpshooters after his shots grazed Trump’s ear, killed rally attendee Corey Comperatore, and wounded another.
Jackson, who retired from the Navy as a rear admiral last year, was first appointed to the White House medical unit under former president George W. Bush, then became the president’s doctor in 2013, under Barack Obama.
Donald Trump’s would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks
Many of Trump’s supports have begun wearing their own ear bandages in solidarity
But he gained national fame after effusively praising Trump’s health and ‘great genes’ in 2018, declaring: ‘I told the president that if he had a healthier diet over the last 20 years, he might live to be 200 years old.’
Soon after, Trump nominated him to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, but Jackson withdrew his name from consideration following allegations he had improperly handed out drugs and was sometimes drunk at work.
During his campaign for Congress, Jackson positioned himself as a close Trump supporter, endorsing the narrative that Obama had ‘weaponized’ the government to spy on Trump.
He also broke ranks with public health officials on the coronavirus, saying that mask-wearing should be a ‘personal choice,’ and he questioned Joe Biden’s cognitive capacity to run for president.