A CNN panel devolved into disorder on Thursday night, July 17, 2025, after podcast host Touré questioned whether President Donald Trump had truly been wounded in the assassination attempt at his Butler, Pennsylvania rally in July 2024.
The heated exchange unfolded during the “NewsNight with Abby Phillip” broadcast, which centered on the White House’s handling of information about Trump’s health. Touré’s comments sparked instant backlash from the other panelists. The conversation initially focused on recent official updates regarding Trump’s bruised hands, injuries Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said were due to minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshakes and regular aspirin use.
Touré cast doubt by saying Trump “supposedly got shot in the ear” and commenting that viewers “never heard from his doctors about it.” This led to an immediate verbal clash. CNN senior political commentator Scott Jennings appeared stunned, gesturing emphatically and calling on host Abby Phillip to step in and correct the statement.
Conservative commentator Ben Ferguson sided with Jennings, strongly disputing Touré’s claim, and Adrienne Elrod, former spokesperson for the Harris campaign, also became involved in the escalating argument. The dispute grew so chaotic that Phillip repeatedly had to demand order, telling the panelists to stop yelling so she could address the issue.
Pressed by Phillip on whether he believed Trump was shot, Touré softened his remarks, saying he had not been at the rally and was unsure what had happened. He continued to argue, however, that Trump’s medical records from the event should have been released to the public.
On July 13, 2024, during the attempted assassination at Butler, Trump was struck by a bullet in his ear. The shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was killed by police at the scene. Fire Captain Corey Comperatore was also killed, dying while protecting his family from gunfire.
After the attack, Texas Representative Ronny Jackson, Trump’s former White House doctor, shared updates about the president’s condition. Jackson explained he was keeping close watch on Trump’s recovery and reported that the bullet passed less than a quarter inch from entering Trump’s skull, instead hitting the top of his right ear. Jackson described significant bleeding followed by pronounced swelling of the upper ear.
Jackson’s assessment made it clear there was no evidence Trump had been injured by anything but a bullet, directly refuting the theory Touré referenced in the CNN discussion.
The controversy didn’t end with the broadcast. On social media and in political circles, people condemned Touré’s comments, with critics arguing that doubting such a well-documented assassination attempt broke the norms of political debate, even in today’s polarized climate.
Jennings tried to further validate Trump’s injury by pointing out Trump’s appearance at the Republican National Convention, where he wore a noticeable bandage over his ear. He also cited photographs showing blood on Trump’s face right after the shooting.
Originally, the panel’s conversation had focused on the question of presidential health transparency, debating whether the current administration provides enough information about Trump’s medical status. Elrod criticized the White House for a lack of openness about Trump’s health, referencing memory lapses such as Trump expressing surprise at Jerome Powell’s appointment as Federal Reserve Chairman, though Trump was responsible for that nomination in 2017.
Touré, who previously hosted on MSNBC and now runs an independent podcast, is a familiar liberal presence on CNN panels. His statements on Thursday were among the most contentious made on national television regarding the Butler assassination attempt, an event extensively documented through videos, police records, and medical reports.