Ubiquitous
2024-07-18 01:05:03 UTC
Despite the graphic photographic evidence from different angles showing
former President Trump was missing chunks of his right ear after being shot
in the head during a failed assassination attempt over the weekend, MSNBC
host Michael Steele wasted oxygen during the network's coverage of Night Two
of the Republican National Convention on Tuesday to spew debunked fringe
conspiracy theories claiming Trump wasn't actually hit by a bullet.
"Where I am at this point, it's been three days, going on four.and yet, we
have not received a medical report from the hospital nor have we received a
medical report from the campaign or from the Trump organization about the
extent of the damage to his ear," he decried.
Steele, who's not a ballistics expert nor was he pro-gun rights in any
meaningful way, bloviated about how "If he was shot by a high-caliber bullet,
there should probably be very little ear there. And so we would like to know
that."
The failed former Republican National Committee chairman seemed to be relying
on flawed Hollywood movie logic to educate himself on how firearms and
ballistics worked.
We don't know what type of ammo was being used. If he was using something
with a soft tip, it's possible that the thinness and flexibility of an ear
wouldn't give enough resistance for a bullet to flatten or cause cavitation.
If he was using a full metal jacket, the bullet would likely just pass right
through as if it were nothing there, even if other parts of the body were
hit. Both would still damage the area it passed through.
He went on to falsely speculate that Trump may not have even been hit by a
bullet: "Was it caused by a bullet as opposed to some reports from those on
the scene, other reporters, saying that it was actually shards of glass from
the teleprompter itself, not the bullet?"
One of the liberal media's favorite fact-checkers, Snopes even debunked the
nonsense Steele was peddling. "The assertion that glass, not a bullet, caused
the injury is undercut by the fact that photographs show no damage to the
teleprompters allegedly hit to produce the broken glass, by a New York Times
photograph capturing a bullet passing by Trump's ear," they wrote. They cited
Getty Images used by USA Today to show that both teleprompters were
completely intact.
Co-host Ari Melber followed up by suggesting that the need to know the
medical condition of Trump's ear somehow matched the need to know President
Biden's cognitive state:
While there's a certain amount of time that could be understandable
for any medical scenario, the calls around the current president's
medical condition, the questions around his capacity, are also the
same questions you have in a medical event like this. Certainly the
public would want to know as much as possible about both incidents,
and the Trump campaign has not been the most transparent.
A few minutes later, Steele lashed out at his former party and suggested that
they didn't want the race for the White House to be about ideas, but rather
"a narrative around victimhood and martyrdom."
"And that's what Republicans want it to be about, the age of the 81-year-old
president, and the martyrdom of the man who wants to be a dictator. So,
that's the context for me," he chided.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
MSNBC's The Reid Out
July 16, 2024
7:12:07 p.m. Eastern
:(.)
:
:MICHAEL STEELE: Where I am at this point, it's been three days, going on
:four since this horrific event occurred, a person lost their live, two have
:been severely injured. And yet, we have not received a medical report from
:the hospital nor have we received a medical report from the campaign or from
:the Trump organization about the extent of the damage to his ear.
:
:If he was shot by a high-caliber bullet, there should probably be very
:little ear there. And so we would like to know that. Is there cosmetic
:surgery involved? What is the prognosis for recovery? Were there stitches?
:What is the extent and nature of the damage to his ear? Was it caused by a
:bullet as opposed to some reports from those on the scene, other reporters,
:saying that it was actually shards of glass from the teleprompter itself,
:not the bullet.
:
:So, there are a lot of questions around that ear! And yet, there's been no
:response to that. Instead, just showing the image of the man coming in to
:the hall with the wounded ear. So, that's the politics.
:
:ARI MELBER: Let me jump in on that and then we'll continue. We're looking
:at that photo. Michael Steele is correct. While there's a certain amount
:of time that could be understandable for any medical scenario, the calls
:around the current president's medical condition, the questions around his
:capacity, are also the same questions you have in a medical event like this.
:
:Certainly the public would want to know as much as possible about both
:incidents, and the Trump campaign has not been the most transparent. So, I
:think getting medical records and briefing on that at some point would be
:appropriate. That's what journalists often ask for.
:
:(.)
:
:7:15:03 p.m. Eastern
:
:STEELE: Well, you know, the reality of it is I don't think Republicans want
:it to be about a contest between two sets of ideas in the terms of policy.
:One is a narrative around victimhood and martyrdom, the other is a narrative
:around the age of an 81-year-old man and his ability to serve. That's what
:both Democrats seemingly want it to be about because that's all they seem
:to be talking about, is the age of the 81-year-old president. And that's
:what Republicans want it to be about, the age of the 81-year-old president,
:and the martyrdom of the man who wants to be a dictator. So, that's the
:context for me.
:
:(.)
--
Let's go Brandon!
former President Trump was missing chunks of his right ear after being shot
in the head during a failed assassination attempt over the weekend, MSNBC
host Michael Steele wasted oxygen during the network's coverage of Night Two
of the Republican National Convention on Tuesday to spew debunked fringe
conspiracy theories claiming Trump wasn't actually hit by a bullet.
"Where I am at this point, it's been three days, going on four.and yet, we
have not received a medical report from the hospital nor have we received a
medical report from the campaign or from the Trump organization about the
extent of the damage to his ear," he decried.
Steele, who's not a ballistics expert nor was he pro-gun rights in any
meaningful way, bloviated about how "If he was shot by a high-caliber bullet,
there should probably be very little ear there. And so we would like to know
that."
The failed former Republican National Committee chairman seemed to be relying
on flawed Hollywood movie logic to educate himself on how firearms and
ballistics worked.
We don't know what type of ammo was being used. If he was using something
with a soft tip, it's possible that the thinness and flexibility of an ear
wouldn't give enough resistance for a bullet to flatten or cause cavitation.
If he was using a full metal jacket, the bullet would likely just pass right
through as if it were nothing there, even if other parts of the body were
hit. Both would still damage the area it passed through.
He went on to falsely speculate that Trump may not have even been hit by a
bullet: "Was it caused by a bullet as opposed to some reports from those on
the scene, other reporters, saying that it was actually shards of glass from
the teleprompter itself, not the bullet?"
One of the liberal media's favorite fact-checkers, Snopes even debunked the
nonsense Steele was peddling. "The assertion that glass, not a bullet, caused
the injury is undercut by the fact that photographs show no damage to the
teleprompters allegedly hit to produce the broken glass, by a New York Times
photograph capturing a bullet passing by Trump's ear," they wrote. They cited
Getty Images used by USA Today to show that both teleprompters were
completely intact.
Co-host Ari Melber followed up by suggesting that the need to know the
medical condition of Trump's ear somehow matched the need to know President
Biden's cognitive state:
While there's a certain amount of time that could be understandable
for any medical scenario, the calls around the current president's
medical condition, the questions around his capacity, are also the
same questions you have in a medical event like this. Certainly the
public would want to know as much as possible about both incidents,
and the Trump campaign has not been the most transparent.
A few minutes later, Steele lashed out at his former party and suggested that
they didn't want the race for the White House to be about ideas, but rather
"a narrative around victimhood and martyrdom."
"And that's what Republicans want it to be about, the age of the 81-year-old
president, and the martyrdom of the man who wants to be a dictator. So,
that's the context for me," he chided.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
MSNBC's The Reid Out
July 16, 2024
7:12:07 p.m. Eastern
:(.)
:
:MICHAEL STEELE: Where I am at this point, it's been three days, going on
:four since this horrific event occurred, a person lost their live, two have
:been severely injured. And yet, we have not received a medical report from
:the hospital nor have we received a medical report from the campaign or from
:the Trump organization about the extent of the damage to his ear.
:
:If he was shot by a high-caliber bullet, there should probably be very
:little ear there. And so we would like to know that. Is there cosmetic
:surgery involved? What is the prognosis for recovery? Were there stitches?
:What is the extent and nature of the damage to his ear? Was it caused by a
:bullet as opposed to some reports from those on the scene, other reporters,
:saying that it was actually shards of glass from the teleprompter itself,
:not the bullet.
:
:So, there are a lot of questions around that ear! And yet, there's been no
:response to that. Instead, just showing the image of the man coming in to
:the hall with the wounded ear. So, that's the politics.
:
:ARI MELBER: Let me jump in on that and then we'll continue. We're looking
:at that photo. Michael Steele is correct. While there's a certain amount
:of time that could be understandable for any medical scenario, the calls
:around the current president's medical condition, the questions around his
:capacity, are also the same questions you have in a medical event like this.
:
:Certainly the public would want to know as much as possible about both
:incidents, and the Trump campaign has not been the most transparent. So, I
:think getting medical records and briefing on that at some point would be
:appropriate. That's what journalists often ask for.
:
:(.)
:
:7:15:03 p.m. Eastern
:
:STEELE: Well, you know, the reality of it is I don't think Republicans want
:it to be about a contest between two sets of ideas in the terms of policy.
:One is a narrative around victimhood and martyrdom, the other is a narrative
:around the age of an 81-year-old man and his ability to serve. That's what
:both Democrats seemingly want it to be about because that's all they seem
:to be talking about, is the age of the 81-year-old president. And that's
:what Republicans want it to be about, the age of the 81-year-old president,
:and the martyrdom of the man who wants to be a dictator. So, that's the
:context for me.
:
:(.)
--
Let's go Brandon!