EXCLUSIVEDoctor weighs in on Trump's miraculous ear recovery - as ex-president continues campaign following Thomas Matthew Crooks shooting
A photo of Donald Trump's right ear seemingly looking unscathed just weeks after being shot sparked a debate today.
The former president was pictured for the first time without a bandage on his wounded ear since the shooting on July 13.
The photo showed the 78-year-old's right ear, which appeared to be fully in-tact and without any cut, scab or bruise.
Adding to the controversy, it came as the FBI suggested Trump may have been hit by shrapnel rather than a bullet, which may have the effect of downplaying the severity of the assassination attempt.
Now, a doctor has analyzed the photo and said it certainly doesn't rule out that Trump's ear was hit by a bullet.
PHOTO IN QUESTION: The above image is the first to be revealed of Donald Trump's right ear since the assassination attempt
California-based plastic surgeon Dr Dennis Dass said that two things were at play.
First, the photo was grainy, zoomed in and had Trump's hair partially in the way — obscuring any cuts, scabs or missing pieces.
And secondly, he said it may be that the bullet had only grazed his ear and, therefore, did not leave a major mark.
The ear is filled with blood vessels, meaning it bleeds a lot from even the most minor of injuries — which could have led the attack to look worse when it took place.
'It is possible that his injury was small enough that they didn't have to do much work on it,' said Dr Dass.
'It may have just been nipped a bit, and then bled a lot — that is possible.
'Even if it was just a small nick, that would have been enough to explain the amount of blood we saw in the initial image.'
He added that it was important not to downplay Trump's injuries, saying they were no less dramatic regardless of what caused them.
'I think it is really irrelevant whether glass or a bullet caused the injury,' he said.
'It is a very unfortunate situation that he has been in, and it was simply horrifying. I wish former President Trump well.'
It is a remarkable turnaround for Trump, who was shot in the ear at the rally less than two weeks ago
Dr Dass said there was likely no mark visible because of the grainy image and the fact that the wound may have already mostly healed.
UC Health says online that small cuts can heal within a week, with the shooting now taking place nearly two weeks ago.
Trump was at Mar-a-Lago, Florida, meeting the Israeli prime minister when he revealed his right ear.
After the shooting, he was initially admitted to Butler County Hospital to be treated for a 'gunshot wound to the right ear' — hospital records show.
His former White House doctor, Ronny Jackson — who later examined Trump — said the bullet had left a 0.8-inch track in the flesh of his right ear, but that the cartilage was unscathed.
The Republican nominee also suffered from 'significant bleeding' shortly after the attack, he said, as well as a 'marked swelling' in his upper ear.
In an update released six days ago, he said that the wound was healing well but that dressing still needed to be in place.
'Based on the highly vascular nature of the ear, there is still intermittent bleeding requiring a dressing to be in place,' he said.
'Given the broad and blunt nature of the wound itself, no sutures were required.'
In an update released today, he added that there was 'no evidence' to suggest Trump's wound was caused by anything other than a bullet.
Trump was pictured wearing a bandage over his ear at the Republican National Convention.
This led some attendees to copy him in solidarity with the former President.
