MSNBC anchor Ari Melber called Donald Trump’s bandage on his ear a “spectacle,” suggesting the bandage is merely a political piece for attention.
“This was also showmanship by a politician known for his mastery of what they call ‘unscripted reality TV,’” Melber said of Trump’s appearance at the Republican National Convention as Lee Greenwood sang “God Bless the USA.”
He went on to quote a story from the New York Times calling the bandage a “prop.”
“On the first night of this convention, Trump was his own biggest prop. He entered the VIP box, a large white bandage on his injured right ear, the result of a close call on Saturday with a would-be assassin’s bullet,” the New York Times piece read. “A reminder of mortality, a badge of survival – it was a blank rectangle on which the crowd could read what it wished, and that made it the most potent placard in the hall.”
Melber called the story “fair,” adding, “A placard for delegates to fill in, an image for political mobilization, a spectacle for this candidate who we know is, by his own admission, obsessed with assorted spectacles.”
“These aren’t normal times. This is not a normal convention,” he continued.
“There is a political quest here to mine and use Donald Trump’s injury, and whether his allies and Republicans, or the candidate himself, do that in a way that overextends their credibility will be decided by the voters,” he added. “That is one good thing we hope we can still agree on in this country, because this is both – as I said – a scary reality we all lived through this weekend and a political project.”
