An armed gunman has once again targeted Former President Donald Trump, the third assassination attempt in the past four months.
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Authorities arrested a man with fake VIP credentials near Trump's rally in Coachella, California on Saturday. They arrested him after finding a shotgun, a handgun, and high high-capacity magazine in his car. They stopped him at a checkpoint near the rally.
Fortunately, he never got into the rally itself. Authorities are considering it a third foiled attempt on Trump's life. "We probably stopped another assassination attempt," Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said. They identified the man as 49-year-old Vem Miller.
"This incident did not impact the safety of former President Trump or attendees of the event," the Riverside County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. According to Bianco, Miller had fake VIP and press passes at the checkpoint. "They were different enough to cause the deputies alarm," Bianco said. The sheriff also believes that Miller was a member of a rightwing anti-government organization. He said that he believes Miller was targeting Trump.
Attempts On Trump's Life
Miller illegally possessed the firearms and ammo. Authorities have since released him on bail. This comes after an armed gunman attempted to shoot Trump on a golf course in Florida. Secret Service foiled that attempt. At the time, Trump spoke out about the assassination attempt.
"I would like to thank everyone for your concern and well wishes - It was certainly an interesting day!" the former president posted on Truth Social.
He also added, "Most importantly, I want to thank the US Secret Service, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and his Office of brave and dedicated Patriots, and, all of Law Enforcement, for the incredible job done today at Trump International in keeping me, as the 45th President of the United States, and the Republican Nominee in the upcoming Presidential Election, SAFE."
He wrote, "THE JOB DONE WAS ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING. I AM VERY PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!"
However, the closest attempt on Trump's life came in July in Pennsylvania. A bullet whizzed by the former president's head, grazing his ear. One person died at the rally and multiple were injured.
"In order to see the chart, I started to turn to my right, and was ready to begin a further turn, which I'm lucky I didn't, when I heard a loud whizzing sound and felt something hit me, really hard, on my right ear," Trump recalled. "I said to myself, 'Wow, what was that—it can only be a bullet,'—and moved my right hand to my ear, brought it down, and my hand was covered with blood, just blood all over the place. I immediately knew it was very serious, that we were under attack, and in one movement, proceeded to drop to the ground."
"There was blood pouring everywhere, and yet, in a certain way I felt very safe, because I had God on my side," Trump continued. "The amazing thing is that prior to the shot, if I had not moved my head at the very last instant, the assassin's bullet would have perfectly hit its mark, and I would not be with you tonight."
