Donald Trump can now add “fashion influencer” to his resume, apparently.
The former president, while not particularly known for being a snazzy dresser, became a trendsetter at this week’s Republican National Convention (RNC) as delegates and attendees raced to copy Trump’s timely and unique accessory — the large, white bandage he’s been wearing on the right side of his head after a bullet grazed his ear in a failed assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally last week.
Among a sea of red “Make America Great Again” hats were white coverings over the ears of many, with those sporting them claiming it was a show of loyalty and a way to honour Trump, who showed up to the convention’s opening day with his entire ear covered in gauze.
“It’s just in sympathy with Donald Trump,” 63-year-old Arizona delegate Joe Neglia, one of the first to sport the latest fashion accessory, told The Associated Press. “I saw that man get shot; I thought that man has almost given his life for his country; he deserves some respect for that.”
A gunman opened fire at Trump’s rally Saturday, injuring the former president on his right ear and killing Corey Comperatore, 50.
Trump’s former doctor, Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas, said he personally examined Trump’s wound, and told the New York Times, “The bullet took a little bit off the top of his ear in an area that, just by nature, bleeds like crazy.”
Negila told CBS News on Tuesday he fashioned his ear covering by folding up an envelope while riding a bus to the Milwaukee convention.
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“This is the newest fashion trend. I’m getting this going. Everybody in the world is going to be wearing these pretty soon,” Neglia said.
And it seems as though the popularity of the ear patch is, indeed, picking up steam. By Thursday, the final day of the convention, dozens of attendees were photographed wearing their own, crafted from paper, masking tape and small bandages, to actual gauze and medical tape.
Craig Berland, the GOP chairman in Maricopa County, Ariz., told HuffPost that a bunch of delegates from his state decided to join in on Tuesday.
“It was a funny thing to do, but it was a serious thing because of the tragedy that happened,” Berland said.
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