Photograph taken after Trump's rally fuels discussion over absence of head bandage
In a recent turn of events, former White House photographer Pete Souza has deactivated his account on social platform X (formerly Twitter) following a controversial post about former US President Donald Trump's ear.
The controversy began when Souza shared a photo taken by Associated Press (AP) photographer Alex Brandon, showing Trump boarding his plane. He urged users to "look closely" at the former president's ear, suggesting that Trump's ear appeared unbandaged and unscathed, contrary to Trump being seen wearing a bandage over his right ear following the shooting at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Souza's post drew criticism and sparked widespread speculation, with many people noticing the seemingly uninjured appearance of the politician's ear. Some critics claimed that the photo was taken at a different time, while other supporters of Souza's post argued that the image raised valid questions about the extent of Trump's injury.
To further support his claim, Souza shared another photo, this time taken by New York Times photographer Doug Mills at the same time and place as the previous one. However, this post also faced backlash, with the intensity of comments becoming ugly and targeting both Souza and Mills.
Despite the controversy, Elon Musk, the owner of X, did not remove Souza from the platform. The backlash towards Souza's post intensified, with netizens starting an X hashtag, #FreePeteSouza, in response to the controversy.
It is important to note that as of August 10, 2025, there are no verifiable or recent information about a controversy involving Pete Souza's social media post about Donald Trump's ear injury or the hashtag #FreePeteSouza. If this event occurred very recently or is developing, it may not yet be covered by major sources. For the latest, checking real-time social media or news platforms directly might provide more up-to-date insights.
Pete Souza is best known for his work as the chief White House photographer during former President Barack Obama's administration. He has also published a book titled Obama: An Intimate Portrait, featuring over 300 of his most iconic photographs of Obama. Souza has stated that Trump often refers to Mills as his favorite photographer. However, the current controversy has raised concerns about the potential exposure of Mills to hateful messages.
[1] Maricopa County Legal News [2] General News Updates [3] Ecological Research Publications [4] Profiles of Political Scholars [5] Unrelated Information
- Social media users continue to express their opinions about former White House photographer Pete Souza's controversial social media post featuring Donald Trump's ear, as evidenced by the ongoing use of the hashtag #FreePeteSouza on various platforms.
- The social-media-driven controversy surrounding Pete Souza's post questioning Donald Trump's ear injury has led to increased scrutiny over the role of celebrities, particularly photographers, within pop-culture and entertainment, with discussions about their potential exposure to online harassment.
