Man arrested near Trump rally on gun charges ‘deeply admires’ ex-president

A man arrested on gun possession charges near a Donald Trump rally in California on Saturday, spurring significant safety concerns, said that he was a major supporter of the former US president and would never harm him.

"Yes, I'm 100% a Trump supporter," the man, Vem Miller, told Fox News Digital in an interview. Miller, 49, denied the local sheriff's allegation that he was bringing weapons to Trump's event to kill him.

"This is a man that I deeply admire," the Las Vegas resident also said. He claimed to be a registered Republican and "all-in" with the Republican presidential candidate since 2018.

Miller was not able to get anywhere near Trump. Law enforcement agencies -including the Riverside, California, sheriff's office, Secret Service and the Los Angeles US attorney - said that Trump was not in any danger.

While authorities said that Trump had been safe, the incident came in the wake of two assassination attempts, fanning the flames of fear over his safety. During a presser on Sunday, the Riverside county sheriff Chad Bianco claimed: "I truly do believe we prevented another assassination attempt," stoking concerns still more.

Miller was taken into custody at a checkpoint at approximately a half-mile from an entrance to Trump's Coachella Valley campaign stop, shortly before it was scheduled to start. Authorities claimed that Miller was in possession of a loaded shotgun and handgun, as well as a high-capacity magazine.

Miller was arrested before Trump arrived at the site, according to KTLA. He was released from jail on $5,000 bail shortly after his arrest, according to police records.