Obama Photographer Deletes X Account After Posting Photo Of Trump’s Ear

Former Obama photographer Pete Souza deleted his X account after receiving backlash of posting a photo of Trump’s ear.

In the photo of Trump’s ear posted on Souza’s account, the former Obama photographer appeared to question Trump’s wound on his ear.

In his post Souza wrote,
“AP photo this morning, Look closely at the ear that was ‘hit’ by a bullet from a AR-15 assault rifle.”

Take a look:

Looks like Pete Souza deleted his account to avoid law suit/s…

But the internet never forgets.

What the heck happened to the Democratic party? https://t.co/qavY3qM0zt

— iNeo_G 🚀 💫 ✨ (@iNeo_G) July 29, 2024

Banning Pete Souza for posting the truth is not free speech @elonmusk. 👀

Reinstate his account. pic.twitter.com/TjJ2NkIBmN

— Ryan Shead (@RyanShead) July 28, 2024

Here’s what The Hill reported:

Former White House photographer Pete Souza deleted his account on the social platform X after receiving backlash over sharing a photo of former President Trump’s ear.
In the post, Souza appeared to question the extent of Trump’s wound from the shooting at his campaign rally in Butler, Pa., earlier this month.

In the Saturday post, Souza shared a photo from The Associated Press of Trump boarding his plane earlier that day and told users to look “closely” at the former president’s ear that was struck by a bullet during the shooting.

“AP photo this morning,” Souza wrote in his Saturday post. “Look closely at the ear that was ‘hit’ by a bullet from a AR-15 assault rifle.”

In the days following the shooting, Trump was spotted wearing a bandage over his right ear. In the photo that Souza shared, he was not wearing a bandage as he boarded the plane.

Users on X falsely claimed Elon delted Souza’s account but Souza himself revealed he deactivated his account:

Presidential photographer Pete Souza posted this new AP photo of Trump's uninjured ear, so Elon kicked him off Twitter. In case you're wondering how the free speech is going. pic.twitter.com/e3tTXmI9w4

— Benzie, the puppies Penn & Teller, and Richard (@rdaily) July 28, 2024

Per CBS 4 Local:

Former White House photographer Pete Souza on Monday announced he deleted his X account after appearing to question former President Donald Trump’s claim he was struck by a bullet.

Trump began bleeding from his right ear after a would-be assassin opened fire at a rally in Butler, Pa. earlier this month. He later said the object that struck him was a bullet.

Taking to X, Souza posted a side profile of Trump, showing his ear without any apparent scars or lasting damage.

“AP photo this morning,” Souza wrote in a since-deleted post. “Look closely at his ear that was ‘hit’ by a bullet from a AR-15 assault rifle.”

Souza was the chief official White House photographer for both former president Barack Obama and Ronald Reagan.

After the post sparked outrage on X, the photographer said he attempted to quell the anger by citing his sources.