Trump faces potential assassination attempt ahead of World Liberty token sale

Trump-backed DeFi venture is set to launch its WLFI token sale on Tuesday, just three weeks before the US presidential election.

Key Takeaways

• A potential assassination plot against Trump occurred ahead of the World Liberty token sale.
• The police assessed that the incident did not pose a direct threat to Trump or the rally attendees.

Donald Trump recently faced a potential assassination plot in the lead-up to the token sale of World Liberty Financial, a DeFi project backed by the Trump family.

Police reported on Saturday that they arrested an armed man with a fake VIP and press pass at a checkpoint near Trump’s campaign rally in Coachella Valley.

Following the arrest, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco told local media that they “probably stopped another assassination attempt” after the suspect, Vem Miller, was found in possession of multiple firearms and high-capacity magazines.

However, in a press conference today, Sheriff Bianco said he had no conclusive evidence that Miller was an assassin. He stated that he only had the seized weapons and false identification documents as indicators of suspicious behavior.

According to the latest update from Fox News, Miller refuted the allegations, saying he was a Trump supporter. Investigation into the incident is still ongoing, with Sheriff Bianco strongly believing that it was a serious threat against Trump.

If the police are correct, this would be the third assassination attempt targeting the former US President this year. In September 2024, a suspect was arrested for attempting to assassinate Trump while he was at his golf course in Florida, and another incident occurred during a rally in Pennsylvania where gunfire was directed at Trump.

Authorities have indicated that the recent arrest did not pose a direct threat to Trump’s safety or the event attendees, but it intensified concerns regarding security around Trump during his campaign activities.

The incident occurred as Trump-backed World Liberty Financial is set to launch its WLFI token sale on Tuesday, Trump said in a recent post on X.

World Liberty Financial, built on the Aave protocol, will allocate 7% of WLFI tokens and 20% of future fees to Aave’s DAO. The sale aims to raise up to $537 million, with 30% of the tokens available to the public.

Critics have raised concerns about Trump’s past business failures and the potential conflict of interest this sale represents. The timing of the sale also raises debates about whether it aims to support Trump’s campaign or act as a fundraising tool.