Police arrested an armed man outside a Donald Trump rally in California on Saturday, with the county sheriff reiterating claims that they had foiled a third assassination attempt, despite allowing the suspect to walk free after he posted a relatively low bail for gun-related offenses.
Vem Miller, 49, was arrested when he was stopped at a security checkpoint near the former president's rally in Coachella, California, shortly before 5 p.m. local time on Saturday. He reportedly showed fake VIP credentials and was found with an illegal shotgun, a loaded handgun, and a high-capacity magazine inside his vehicle. This was the third assassination attempt on Trump is less than three months.
A Third Trump Assassination Plot Foiled
Miller was booked on weapons charges and released after posting a $5,000 bail following his. However, the sheriff later claimed in an interview with the Riverside Press-Enterprise that his department had essentially prevented an assassination attempt on Trump's life.
"I truly do believe we prevented another assassination attempt," Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco told reporters Sunday.
However, federal agencies seem to have a different perspective on the situation.
The Secret Service believes it's unlikely that Miller was trying to assassinate the former president, and sources told The New York Post that the FBI is not treating the case as such. According to these sources, Miller is a member of an anti-government far-right group and likely had the weapons solely for personal protection.
The Secret Service later confirmed that Trump was not in any danger during the rally.
"The US Secret Service assesses that the incident did not impact protective operations and former President Trump was not in any danger," the agency and the FBI said in a joint statement. "While no federal arrest has been made at this time, the investigation is ongoing."
Miller, who requested a lawyer when the FBI tried to interview him, briefly told reporters that the claims of him being an assassin were "complete bulls–t."
However, the sheriff remained firm in his original assessment during a press briefing on Sunday, labeling Miller a "lunatic" and implying that anyone accusing him of exaggerating the situation might also be out of touch.
"What his frame of mind was, all we can do is speculate," Bianco said. "If you're asking me right now, I probably did have deputies that prevented the third assassination attempt.
"If we are that politically lost, that we have lost sight of common sense and reality and reason that we can't say 'Holy crap, what did he show up with all of that stuff for?' ... And I'm going to be accused of being dramatic? We have a serious, serious problem in this country. Because this is common sense and reason."
Motive Still Unclear
Bianco clarified that any charges related to an assassination attempt would fall under federal jurisdiction, not his office's, and that he was collaborating with both the Secret Service and the FBI.
Sources revealed that Miller has a long history of minor legal issues and is believed to be part of the sovereign citizens movement—a far-right group rooted in conspiracy theories that reject government authority.
The FBI describes the movement as "anti-government extremists" who claim they "physically reside in the U.S." but consider themselves "separate or 'sovereign' from the United States."
The group is known for evading taxes and disregarding the legal system, with the FBI highlighting their resistance to traffic stops. In 2023, a 25-year-old armed member of the movement was fatally shot in Utah after refusing to cooperate during a traffic stop.
Miller, a registered Republican with a master's degree from UCLA, ran for the Nevada State Assembly in 2022, according to the Press-Enterprise. He also appears to run a CBD business based in California and has promoted conspiracy theories and shared aggressively misogynistic comments online.
This follows a tense summer where two armed men were stopped just in time from trying to kill the former president.
In July, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks fired shots at Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. One of the bullets grazed Trump's ear, narrowly missing a fatal impact. A bystander was killed, and two others were injured before Crooks was shot dead by Secret Service snipers moments after he opened fire.
Just over two months later, another suspect was caught at Trump's West Palm Beach golf course with an assault rifle, hiding in the bushes while Trump was just 300 yards away on the course.
Ryan Routh, was spotted when a Secret Service agent noticed the barrel of his rifle sticking out from the bushes. Agents fired at him, but Routh managed to escape and was later arrested while fleeing on the highway.
Federal prosecutors believe Routh had been hiding in the bushes for about 12 hours, waiting for an opportunity to assassinate Trump.
