You may already be aware, but Donald Trump was shot in the ear. The injury occurred last weekend, on July 13, during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, when a 20-year-old fired at the former president from a nearby rooftop.
Although the assassination attempt was thwarted at the last moment when Trump ducked his head, his right ear sustained most of the injury, with the bloody aftermath captured in images that circulated widely online.
With the first night of the Republican National Convention taking place on July 15, Trump had no choice but to return to the fray quickly, and with this came a new appearance.
The rectangular bandage as a fashion accessory
As the reality star and former US president entered the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee—amid chants of “USA!” and the sound of Lee Greenwood’s “Proud to Be an American”—he sported a small rectangular bandage on his right ear.
It was an entirely understandable sight for someone who had just experienced a bullet whizzing past their face. Unbeknownst to him, the former president had inadvertently sparked the latest fashion trend, set to thrill the most ardent corners of Trump’s power sphere.
In a show of solidarity with Trump’s attempted assassination, several attendees at the Republican National Convention wore their own unique version of the accessory: faux bandages on their ears to “empower the battling politician.”
The patriotic twist
The faux bandages began appearing on ears on Wednesday and quickly swept through the convention center, creating a sea of extra white squares affixed to ears. Some even customized their bandages with slogans like “T 2024” and the completely normal and not at all alarming “FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT.”
Whether hidden behind glasses, peeking out from cowboy hats, or protruding from MAGA caps, the bandage on the right ear is the hottest trend in Republican fashion at the moment, demonstrating that some Americans love to redefine things with a patriotic flair.
