Trump ‘Assassin Guy' Reveals How Accusations Hurt His Family, Dating Life

Miami Herald

06-04-2025

A man accused by a California sheriff of "probably" being a would-be assassin of President Donald Trump has told Newsweek the allegations have deeply affected his personal life, forcing him into hiding, damaging his relationship with his children and making him less datable.
Vem Miller was arrested after a shotgun, a loaded handgun and a high-capacity magazine were found inside his vehicle at a checkpoint ahead of a Trump rally in Coachella Valley in October 2024, according to the sheriff's office. Authorities said Miller was also in possession of fake press passes, driver's licenses and passports—claims he denies.
Miller was never charged with attempting to kill the then-presidential candidate.
Shortly after the arrest, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco told media outlets he and his deputies had "probably stopped another assassination attempt" by detaining Miller. Security and tensions surrounding Trump's public appearances in October were high, following two other apparent attempts on his life in previous months.
Miller, who is now suing Bianco for $100 million in a defamation lawsuit filed on March 10, said the allegations—which he vehemently denies—have led to death threats, prevented him from renting vehicles and left him unable to see his children, who live in the United Kingdom.
"I went through a very messy divorce. There was a lot of tension and little contact with my children already. But following the Coachella Valley incident, the little contact I had has now gone away because I was dubbed this 'assassin guy,'" Miller told Newsweek during a phone interview.
"I've had a difficult time in all aspects of my life," he said. "If you're going to rent something or you're going to date someone, do you choose the person who has 40 pages of controversy online, or do you choose somebody who doesn't have that?"
Newsweek has contacted Bianco via the Riverside County Sheriff's Department for comment.
In a previous statement to U.K. tabloidDaily Mail, Bianco said: "When asked, I tell people all the time about what he [Miller] did. Facts are facts."
The U.S. Attorney's Office, Secret Service and FBI previously said in a joint statement that "the incident did not impact protective operations" and Trump "was not in any danger" when Miller was arrested in Coachella Valley. Miller pleaded not guilty to two counts of possession of a loaded firearm in January. He says one charge will eventually be dropped, because authorities are aware the shotgun was not loaded
Miller has denied he ever intended to harm Trump and said he has been a supporter of the Republican for several years.
Miller said he was attending the October 12 event as part of his investigative journalism work. He founded the America Happens Network in 2007, which produces a series of online shows and podcasts under its motto, "rage against mainstream media."
According to the lawsuit filed against Bianco, Miller did "what he believed was the right thing" by informing Riverside County deputies at the checkpoint, situated about a mile from the rally stage, that he was in possession of firearms.
Miller told Newsweek that deputies should have realized the guns in his possession were not the type of "tools one would use for nefarious deeds like an assassination."
Bianco told the Southern California News Group in October that Miller allegedly being in possession of fake press passes was enough to "cause the deputies alarm."
"We probably stopped another assassination attempt," Bianco said.
Bianco told reporters during an October 13 press conference that his deputies "prevented the third assassination attempt."
Bianco also told The Epoch Times in a text message that his deputies apprehended someone who "ended up saying he was going to kill the president." Bianco later retracted that statement, telling the newspaper he had received "bad info."
The previous month, Trump had been the target of an apparent assassination attempt at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida. An armed man allegedly hid in a bush and waited for him for hours, but no shots were fired at the president. In July, a gunman had opened fire at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, leaving Trump with minor injuries.
Miller said he "categorically disputes every single thing" Bianco has said about him — including claims that he possessed fake IDs or intended to harm the president. He believes the sheriff used the situation to boost his own political profile.
Bianco is a Republican candidate for governor of California in the 2026 election.
"It was very clear that this individual was trying to character-assassinate me in order to gain national prominence for his governor run," Miller told Newsweek. "This lawsuit really is about holding individuals like this accountable, because unfortunately, the Chad Bianco types in the United States are becoming the rule and not the exception."
Miller said he went into hiding for about two months following numerous death threats and harassment.
"It's kind of this double-edged sword. There are people on the right who are p***** off because I'm going after this guy [Bianco], and they don't like that I'm messing with his candidacy," Miller said. "And then on the left side, I'm perhaps seen as this MAGA gun guy."
The $100 million defamation suit accuses Bianco of exploiting a "perceived golden opportunity" to boost his own profile by "falsely claiming" he stopped an attempted assassination of Trump.
The suit, filed in a California district court, says Bianco demonstrated an "outrageous, reckless disregard" for Miller and his rights with the accusations.
"The aftermath of being falsely accused as an attempted presidential assassin has been utterly devastating to Mr. Miller—destroying his previous work opportunities, receiving threats which have led him into hiding, his parents' home being raided by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department on October 14, 2025, leaving him unable to obtain work, and his ex-wife used those allegations to prevent him from having any contact with his children," the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit also alleges Bianco knew federal agencies had "dismissed" the assassination theory but still "falsely and maliciously" pushed the claim to the press.
Miller filed a similar lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Nevada in October, shortly after his arrest.
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