Bob Oswald
Former President Donald Trump appeared at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this past week, just days after he was injured during an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
Trump announced during the convention his pick for vice president, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, and photos of the running mates began circulating on the internet.
However, in a photo of Trump and Vance posted on social media, the former president isn’t wearing a bandage on his injured ear.
“The top part of his ear grew back (Yes. This is from today),” read a July 15 X post that included a photo of Vance and Trump.
A different July 15 X post with the same photo read, “This image of Trump was taken today. There is absolutely nothing wrong with his ear, and it has zero damage, FROM A BULLET. Everything about Trump is a con or a grift.”
But these posts are false, according to The Associated Press. The photo is nearly two years old.
The image used in these posts was taken Sept. 17, 2022, during a rally for Vance, in Youngstown, Ohio, when he was running for Senate. Trump showed up at that rally in support of Vance, who was elected to the Senate the following November.
In recent photos showing Trump and Vance together at the convention, Trump’s right ear is mostly covered by a large white bandage.
Trump not shot in the chest
Former President Donald Trump was the target of a July 13 presumed assassination attempt in Pennsylvania, in which he sustained an injury to his ear.
“I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform later that day.
Some social media users claim there was more to the story.
“Trump just started wearing a bulletproof vest as advised by his security detail. It saved his life!! He took a shot to the chest,” read a July 13 Facebook post that included a photo which appeared to show a bullet hole in the chest area of Trump’s suit.
But that’s not accurate, according to Reuters. The dark spot on the photo wasn’t from a bullet and it isn’t on Trump’s suit.
The photo, taken by Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci, shows Trump, with blood on his face, surrounded by Secret Service agents as he pumps his fist in the air. An agent directly in front of the former president, wearing a suit the same color as Trump’s, has a fold in the sleeve of her jacket, which appears as a dark spot, and looks like a bullet hole.
There were no other reports that Trump took a bullet to the chest and he didn’t mention it in his Truth Social post.
Biden didn’t grant citizenship
A social media post last month claimed President Joe Biden granted immediate citizenship to one million immigrants.
“Biden just gave citizenship to 1 MILLION illegal aliens by Executive Order – an ILLEGAL ACT that violates the Constitution’s Separation of Powers. If this is allowed we do not have a Republic of laws, we have a DICTATORSHIP. If this is allowed, our Republic is DEAD,” read a June 18 Facebook post.
But that’s false, according to USA Today. Biden didn’t grant citizenship to immigrants, but he did sign an order to give spouses and children of U.S. citizens a chance to apply for permanent residency.
The order, for those who qualify, makes spouses and children eligible to apply for a green card. They will now be allowed three years to apply for permanent residency while living and working in the U.S. Before the order, those applying for a green card could be required to go back to their home country while the application was processed.
According to White House estimates, the order applies to nearly 500,000 spouses and 50,000 children under 21 years old.
Starbucks didn’t sponsor RNC
Recent social media posts included a surprising claim about the Republican convention.
“After years of identifying as a progressive employer, Starbucks is now sponsoring the Republican National Convention,” read an X post.
A different X post said, “Starbucks sponsoring the RNC is wild.” Other posts called for a boycott of Starbucks.
But these claims are wrong, according to The Associated Press. Starbucks is not providing a cash sponsorship for the convention.
Starbucks’ spokesperson Jaci Anderson told the AP the company has partnered with the Milwaukee 2024 Host Committee, not the RNC, to provide coffee for first responders working during the convention in an official capacity, including EMTs, firefighters and the National Guard.
The Milwaukee 2024 Host Committee is a nonpartisan liaison between the RNC, the city of Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin.
Anderson told the AP that Starbucks will be providing coffee to the same groups during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
“Our support of first responders and volunteers at the conventions is an extension of our ongoing commitment to the communities where we operate — which includes Milwaukee and Chicago,” she said.
• Bob Oswald is a veteran Chicago-area journalist and former news editor of the Elgin Courier-News. Contact him at [email protected].