Fact Check: Claim that a bulletproof jacket saved Trump’s life is false, only one bullet pierced his ear

Former US President Donald Trump was allegedly targeted during his election rally in Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024. With his ear covered in blood, Trump was immediately pulled down from the stage. The shooter was killed, and the Secret Service is investigating the shooting as an assassination attempt. One rally attendee was killed, and two others were injured, according to media reports.

Leaders from various nations wished Trump a speedy recovery and asserted that political violence in any form has no place in society.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on his X wall “Deeply concerned by the attack on my friend, former President Donald Trump. Strongly condemn the incident. Violence has no place in politics and democracies. Wish him a speedy recovery. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the deceased, those injured and the American people”.

Honduran President Xiomara Castro de Zelaya has offered support to Trump after the shooting incident. Talking to X, she stated, "Violence generates more violence. I am sorry for what is happening in the United States electoral process. My solidarity with Donald Trump.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that he is "sickened" by the shooting at Donald Trump's rally and emphasized that political violence is never acceptable.

In the backdrop, several photographs are circulating on social media with various claims.

Claim 1

Users shared a close-up picture of Donald Trump's jacket with Hindi text “बुलेट प्रूफ जैकेट का कमाल ट्रंप को एक गोली सीने पर लगी लेकिन बुलेट प्रूफ जैकेट ने उसे रोक लिया”.

When translated to English, it means: “The magic of bulletproof saved Trump. Though shot in his chest, his bulletproof jacket stopped the bullet."

Claim 2

Another user shared that Secret Service officers are smiling after the attack on Trump. Users share the picture with the caption “I’m not saying it was staged. I’m just saying the Secret Service doesn’t seem all that bothered. One of them even looked right into the camera

Claim 3

We found another user posted a photograph of Donald Trump just after the attack, with his ear covered in blood but a smile on his face, accompanied by the caption: "Trump is smiling AFTER surviving an assassination attempt! None of this passes the smell test."

Fact check : We found that all the claims are false. The "bullet hole" in Trump's jacket is actually a fold in the security person's jacket. Additionally, the image of laughing security personnel and Donald Trump just after the incident is digitally altered.

Claim 1

During reverse image search, we found a clear photograph of the same key frame. Upon zooming in, we discovered that there was no bullet hole in Trump's jacket; it was merely a fold in the security person's jacket while rescuing Trump. This confirms that only one bullet pierced the upper part of Trump's right ear.

As per the media report “A bullet pierced the upper part of his right ear at a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday as the Secret Service bundled the former president to safety. Videos in slow-motion showed a simple head tilt by Trump saved a tragedy. There is no mention of 2nd bullet piercing Trump.

Claim 2

During our search, we found that Elon Musk shared a picture of the incident. After examining the picture, we confirmed that the security personnel around Donald Trump were not seen laughing or smiling. In the original image, they are protecting Trump. Therefore, the viral image is likely digitally altered.

Claim 3

We found that WSJ News uploaded a video shot from a different angle than the viral image. At exactly the 1:16 timestamp, we found the key frame of the viral image. However, we did not see Trump smiling at that moment. Therefore, the viral image is likely digitally altered.

Hence, we found all the claims are false. The supposed "bullet hole" in Trump's jacket is merely a fold in the security person's jacket. Furthermore, the images showing laughing security personnel and Donald Trump immediately after the incident have been digitally manipulated.