A Donald Trump “fan” found with a gun at a rally has denied that he tried to kill the presidential hopeful, insisting he is “100 per cent” a supporter.
The apparent fan, named as Vem Miller, was arrested on Saturday after he was found to be in possession of two guns and a high-capacity magazine before Mr Trump’s California rally.
The 49-year-old Las Vegas resident has denied planning to carry out any illegal acts, and has said he is a Trump supporter who did not realise state law on guns differed from his home state of Nevada.
Miller was stopped in a black SUV by deputies from the Riverside County sheriff's office on Saturday and taken into custody without incident.
The sheriff's office said in a press release: “The incident did not impact the safety of former president Trump or attendees of the event.”
The rally on Saturday took place in the Coachella Valley, an area known for its annual music and arts festival.
It has since been reported that Mr Trump has been banned from playing golf by his own security over the next few weeks, while the race for the White House heats up, amid fears there could be more attempts on his life.
Sky has reported that he has promised not to play again until the election on November 5.
Mr Trump is a golf fanatic and is estimated to have played 261 rounds while he was president – about one every five or six days.
The latest incident is not the first time there have been concerns over the safety of Mr Trump in the election campaign.
Here is a rundown of all the dramas he has faced over the years:
June 2016
During a rally for Donald Trump during his last bid for the presidency, in 2016, he had another close call.
He was addressing fans on the campaign trail in Nevada when an onlooker attempted to grab for a gun.
Michael Sandford, a 20-year-old Brit originally from Dorking, attempted to grab the service pistol of a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police officer who was at the scene providing security for the event.
He failed to get the gun and was later arrested, and Sandford claimed that he had wished to kill Trump to prevent him from being elected as president.
He was charged with disorderly conduct and with being an "illegal alien in possession of a firearm" for having previously rented a pistol at a shooting range and plead guilty to both charges.
Sandford was sentenced to 12 months and one day behind bars, and was released after serving 11 months then deported back to the UK.
The BBC produced a documentary about the incident called The Brit Who Tried to Kill Trump, which was released in January 2017.
July 2024
Mr Trump narrowly survived an assassination attempt in July, when a gunman's bullet grazed his ear during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
He was speaking at a rally on Saturday, July 13 and was left with minor injuries when he was shot at.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, who took aim at Mr Trump in July, was quickly shot dead by security after he had managed to climb onto a warehouse roof, line up his AR-15 style rifle, and fire a volley of bullets towards the former president.
He was allegedly shot in the ear before Secret Service agents were able to protect him.
Heavily armed federal law enforcement officials rushed onto the stage area and an evacuation car was ordered to escort Mr Trump to safety while shots continued to fly.
Meanwhile, a 50-year-old former fire chief, Corey Comperatore, was hit by one or more of the gunman's bullets and died. Two other rally-goers, David Dutch and James Copenhaver, were seriously wounded.
Members of the Secret Service's Counter-Assault Team returned fire, fatally wounding Crooks with a shot to the head. About 42 seconds after the first shot was fired, an agent said, "Shooter down”.
September 2024
In September, another man was charged with trying to assassinate Mr Trump after Secret Service agents discovered him hiding with a rifle near Trump's Palm Beach golf course.
A gunman was first spotted by Secret Service agents, who were sweeping the course. Agents were one hole ahead to perform security checks as Mr Trump played.
The muzzle of a rifle – an SKS semi-automatic – was spotted sticking through the shrubbery that lines the course and an agent "immediately engaged" with the person holding the rifle, who fled.
Police said the suspect did not fire his weapon during the incident.
The Secret Service agent opened fire and the suspect ran, dropping the rifle and fleeing in a vehicle, abandoning the weapon along with two bags, a scope for his rifle and a GoPro camera.
A witness saw the gunman flee in a black Nissan SUV and captured a photo of the vehicle for officers.
Ryan Routh was charged at the end of September with the attempted assassination.
The 58-year-old already faces up to 20 years behind bars on two gun-related charges.
But he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted on the assassination charge.
October 2024
Police arrested 49-year-old man Vem Miller after he was found in possession of two guns and a high-capacity magazine at a Trump rally in California.
The Las Vegas resident denied planning to carry out any illegal acts, and has said he is a Trump supporter who did not realise state law on guns differed from his home state of Nevada.
“The incident did not impact the safety of former President Trump or attendees of the event," the sheriff's office said in a press release.
