Anthony Fauci denied the gunshot wound Donald Trump suffered during Saturday’s assassination attempt, telling CNN viewers: “He’s safe.”
Fauci made the comments after the 78-year-old former president wore a large white bandage over a gunshot wound to his ear during the Republican National Convention this week.
“I don’t think there’s much more to it,” Fauci, 83, said of Trump’s injuries during a conversation with CNN host Wolf Blitzer on Friday. “It was a bullet that grazed his ear.”
Trump was nearly killed last week when gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. There has been no official update on his condition.
Fauci, who served as the president’s chief medical adviser, added that the doctor who examined Trump said there was no further damage.
Anthony Fauci (pictured) denied a gunshot wound Donald Trump sustained during Saturday’s attempted assassination: ‘He’s safe,’ doctor told CNN viewers
“I think he’s safe … as far as I can tell,” Fauci said — though he acknowledged the dangers of making diagnoses remotely.
But based on reports from Trump’s doctors and the way the former president is now behaving, Fauci says it’s more of a superficial ear wound and nothing more.
While Fauci is confident Trump’s wound is harmless, others in the medical community warn the gunshot wound could be detrimental to the former president’s long-term health.
CNN’s chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, called for a “public assessment” of the former president in an op-ed for CNN on Friday.
He added: ‘…gunshots near the head can cause injuries that may not be immediately apparent, such as bleeding in or on the brain, damage to the inner ear or even psychological trauma.’
The doctor said the public has “very little insight” into Trump’s condition after he suffered the injury on Saturday.
“The good news is that most of the physical symptoms of an injury have probably only manifested themselves in the last few days,” Gupta said.
“At this time, however, the Trump campaign has not disclosed whether a full investigation was conducted at the time or whether there has been any follow-up investigation since then.”
According to Simon McCarthy-Jones, professor of clinical psychology at Trinity College Dublin, Trump’s minor injury could mask the much greater mental damage he suffered from the bullet.
‘Such experiences can shatter people’s sense that they live in a safe, understandable and controllable world, leaving them feeling worthless, unsafe and insecure,’ said Professor McCarthy-Jones.
Jones said the potential impact on Trump’s mind cannot be ignored as he becomes US president in November.
Tens of thousands of Americans are injured by nonfatal gunshot wounds each year. Research has shown that this trauma can cause long-term damage, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depression.
Pictured: CNN’s chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta
‘Such experiences can shatter people’s sense that they live in a safe, understandable and controllable world, leaving them feeling worthless, unsafe and insecure,’ said Professor McCarthy-Jones.
‘People may relive the event through flashbacks or nightmares. They may also experience heart palpitations, sweating or shortness of breath when reminded of the event.’
He told The conversation that people with PTSD try to avoid reminders of the event, lose interest in activities, and feel numb, irritable, and nervous.
They may be constantly on guard for threats, have difficulty concentrating, have outbursts of anger and experience overwhelming emotions, he added.
