{
  "schema_version": 1,
  "site": "https://rerunwire.com",
  "story": {
    "slug": "pre-election-assassination-plot-amplification",
    "title": "Pre-election \"assassination attempt thwarted\" amplification",
    "type": "coverage_amplification",
    "url": "https://rerunwire.com/s/pre-election-assassination-plot-amplification/",
    "summary": "Sometimes a scare at a campaign event, an armed person stopped at a checkpoint, or a disruptive attendee gets described as a thwarted assassination attempt before the facts are known. Later reporting by officials or fact-checkers often shows a lesser threat or none. Notable examples include the November 2016 Reno rally scare and the October 2024 Coachella arrest. This story is separate from real attempts like Butler (July 2024) and West Palm Beach (September 2024), which are documented as genuine.",
    "summary_sources": [
      "https://www.cnn.com/2016/11/07/politics/reality-check-no-assassination-attempt",
      "https://www.politifact.com/article/2024/oct/14/a-third-assassination-attempt-against-trump-heres/"
    ],
    "reruns": [
      {
        "anchor": "2016-03-12",
        "url": "https://rerunwire.com/s/pre-election-assassination-plot-amplification/#2016-03-12",
        "start": "2016-03-12",
        "end": "2016-03-14",
        "title": "Dayton stage-rusher wrongly linked to ISIS",
        "why_it_fits": "On March 12, 2016, Thomas DiMassimo, 22, jumped a barrier at a Trump rally at the Dayton airport and rushed the stage, and Secret Service agents tackled him. He was charged locally with inducing panic and disorderly conduct and released the same day. Trump then tweeted that DiMassimo \"has ties to ISIS,\" with a link to a video showing him in front of an ISIS flag. PolitiFact traced that video to an edited version of a 2015 protest clip DiMassimo had uploaded himself, and found no real connection to ISIS. The police report says DiMassimo told police he meant to grab Trump's microphone and yell \"Donald Trump is a racist,\" and it does not mention ISIS. ABC News also found nothing linking him to ISIS. He was later charged federally with one count of knowingly entering restricted grounds.",
        "sources": [
          {
            "url": "http://politifact.com/factchecks/2016/mar/13/donald-trump/donald-trump-wrongly-links-campaign-event-proteste/",
            "archive_url": null,
            "outlet": "politifact.com",
            "reliability": "reliable"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/donald-trump-ties-man-arrested-rally-isis-apparently/story?id=37614315",
            "archive_url": null,
            "outlet": "abcnews.com",
            "reliability": "reliable"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/272847-protester-who-rushed-trump-at-rally-i-am-not-a-member-of/",
            "archive_url": null,
            "outlet": "thehill.com",
            "reliability": "reliable"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/man-rushed-trump-stage-saturday-charged-federally/story?id=37667170",
            "archive_url": null,
            "outlet": "abcnews.com",
            "reliability": "reliable"
          }
        ],
        "items": [
          {
            "url": "http://politifact.com/factchecks/2016/mar/13/donald-trump/donald-trump-wrongly-links-campaign-event-proteste/",
            "archive_url": null,
            "kind": "article",
            "outlet": "politifact.com",
            "captured": "2026-10-23",
            "quote": "USSS (U.S. Secret Service) did an excellent job stopping the maniac running to the stage. He has ties to ISIS. Should be in jail.",
            "timestamp": null,
            "engagement": {}
          },
          {
            "url": "https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/donald-trump-ties-man-arrested-rally-isis-apparently/story?id=37614315",
            "archive_url": null,
            "kind": "article",
            "outlet": "abcnews.com",
            "captured": "2026-10-23",
            "quote": "\"All I know is what's on the internet,\" said Trump.",
            "timestamp": null,
            "engagement": {}
          },
          {
            "url": "https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/272847-protester-who-rushed-trump-at-rally-i-am-not-a-member-of/",
            "archive_url": null,
            "kind": "article",
            "outlet": "thehill.com",
            "captured": "2026-10-23",
            "quote": "I am not a member of ISIS. I have no known ties to ISIS.",
            "timestamp": null,
            "engagement": {}
          },
          {
            "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1QL1MmyMhQ",
            "archive_url": null,
            "kind": "video",
            "outlet": "youtube.com",
            "captured": "2026-10-23",
            "quote": null,
            "timestamp": null,
            "engagement": {}
          }
        ],
        "corrections": []
      },
      {
        "anchor": "2016-11-05",
        "url": "https://rerunwire.com/s/pre-election-assassination-plot-amplification/#2016-11-05",
        "start": "2016-11-05",
        "end": "2016-11-08",
        "title": "Reno rally \"assassination attempt\" retweets",
        "why_it_fits": "At Trump's rally in Reno on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016, Secret Service agents rushed him off stage after someone in a scuffle yelled \"gun.\" The Secret Service said a thorough search of the man and the area found no weapon. The man, Austyn Crites, was a registered Republican who had been holding a \"Republicans Against Trump\" sign. Shortly afterward, Donald Trump Jr. and campaign social media director Dan Scavino retweeted a supporter (identified by CNN as Jack Posobiec) who wrote that Trump was \"back on stage minutes after assassination attempt.\" The next day, campaign manager Kellyanne Conway called Crites \"a Democratic plant or operative\" on CNN, offering \"no details or proof,\" according to an AP report carried by the Las Vegas Review-Journal and CBS.",
        "sources": [
          {
            "url": "https://www.cnn.com/2016/11/07/politics/reality-check-no-assassination-attempt",
            "archive_url": null,
            "outlet": "cnn.com",
            "reliability": "reliable"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/304536-donald-trump-jr-retweets-assassination-attempt-against/",
            "archive_url": null,
            "outlet": "thehill.com",
            "reliability": "reliable"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/conway-claims-reno-protester-was-a-democratic-plant",
            "archive_url": null,
            "outlet": "washingtonexaminer.com",
            "reliability": "needs_second_source"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/politics-and-government/protester-at-donald-trump-rally-in-reno-says-hes-not-an-operative-for-democrats/",
            "archive_url": null,
            "outlet": "reviewjournal.com",
            "reliability": "reliable"
          }
        ],
        "items": [
          {
            "url": "https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/304536-donald-trump-jr-retweets-assassination-attempt-against/",
            "archive_url": null,
            "kind": "article",
            "outlet": "thehill.com",
            "captured": "2026-10-23",
            "quote": "Hillary ran away from rain today. Trump is back on stage minutes after assassination attempt.",
            "timestamp": null,
            "engagement": {}
          },
          {
            "url": "https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/conway-claims-reno-protester-was-a-democratic-plant",
            "archive_url": null,
            "kind": "article",
            "outlet": "washingtonexaminer.com",
            "captured": "2026-10-23",
            "quote": "So this is a Democratic plant or operative trying to disrupt our rally.",
            "timestamp": null,
            "engagement": {}
          },
          {
            "url": "https://www.cnn.com/2016/11/07/politics/trump-jr-defends-assassination-tweet/index.html",
            "archive_url": null,
            "kind": "article",
            "outlet": "cnn.com",
            "captured": "2026-10-23",
            "quote": "They're saying I'm supposed to go back and erase things off up my Twitter feed. I don't do that.",
            "timestamp": null,
            "engagement": {}
          },
          {
            "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1175k9k9So",
            "archive_url": null,
            "kind": "video",
            "outlet": "youtube.com",
            "captured": "2026-10-23",
            "quote": null,
            "timestamp": null,
            "engagement": {}
          }
        ],
        "corrections": []
      },
      {
        "anchor": "2024-10-13",
        "url": "https://rerunwire.com/s/pre-election-assassination-plot-amplification/#2024-10-13",
        "start": "2024-10-13",
        "end": "2024-10-16",
        "title": "Coachella \"third assassination attempt\"",
        "why_it_fits": "After Vem Miller's Oct. 12, 2024 arrest on state weapons charges at a checkpoint near Trump's Coachella rally, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said at an Oct. 13 news conference that he \"probably did have deputies that prevented the third assassination attempt.\" He also acknowledged that \"it's all going to be speculation about what his intentions were\" (PolitiFact). That same day, the Secret Service, FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office said in a joint statement that no federal arrest had been made and the investigation was ongoing; the Secret Service assessed that Trump \"was not in any danger,\" and the sheriff's own press release said the incident \"did not impact the safety of former President Trump or attendees\" (PolitiFact). Two federal officials told CNN there was \"no evidence at this time\" that Miller was trying to assassinate Trump. Two unnamed sources close to the campaign told Fox News they did not see it as an assassination attempt, and no federal charges had been filed as of Oct. 14 (KTLA). In August 2026 a Riverside County judge dismissed Miller's misdemeanor charge of carrying a loaded firearm in public after he completed a diversion program (Las Vegas Sun).",
        "sources": [
          {
            "url": "https://www.politifact.com/article/2024/oct/14/a-third-assassination-attempt-against-trump-heres/",
            "archive_url": null,
            "outlet": "politifact.com",
            "reliability": "reliable"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/13/politics/trump-coachella-rally-man-arrested/index.html",
            "archive_url": null,
            "outlet": "cnn.com",
            "reliability": "reliable"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://ktla.com/news/california/trump-campaign-not-viewing-coachella-incident-as-an-assassination-attempt/",
            "archive_url": null,
            "outlet": "ktla.com",
            "reliability": "reliable"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://lasvegassun.com/news/2026/aug/12/las-vegas-man-with-loaded-gun-at-trump-rally-in-co/",
            "archive_url": null,
            "outlet": "lasvegassun.com",
            "reliability": "reliable"
          }
        ],
        "items": [
          {
            "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1Uj2xaUBWs",
            "archive_url": null,
            "kind": "broadcast",
            "outlet": "youtube.com",
            "captured": "2026-10-23",
            "quote": "I probably did have deputies that prevented the third assassination attempt.",
            "timestamp": null,
            "engagement": {}
          },
          {
            "url": "https://abc7news.com/post/vem-miller-man-arrested-weapons-trump-rally-coachella-sues-riverside-county-sheriff-defamation/15435204/",
            "archive_url": null,
            "kind": "article",
            "outlet": "abc7news.com",
            "captured": "2026-10-23",
            "quote": "\"probably\" stopped a \"third assassination attempt.\"",
            "timestamp": null,
            "engagement": {}
          },
          {
            "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9FQG4vO3Z0",
            "archive_url": null,
            "kind": "video",
            "outlet": "youtube.com",
            "captured": "2026-10-23",
            "quote": null,
            "timestamp": null,
            "engagement": {}
          }
        ],
        "corrections": [
          {
            "date": "2026-10-23",
            "text": "Corrected the attribution of the official statements: the joint federal statement said no federal arrest had been made and the investigation was ongoing, \"was not in any danger\" was the Secret Service's assessment, and the statement that the incident did not affect safety came from the sheriff's press release. Removed the Rumble item, whose quotation \"all in on Trump\" does not appear on that page."
          }
        ]
      },
      {
        "anchor": "2026-09-06",
        "url": "https://rerunwire.com/s/pre-election-assassination-plot-amplification/#2026-09-06",
        "start": "2026-09-06",
        "end": "2026-09-09",
        "title": "Amy Acton incident at the Canfield Fair",
        "why_it_fits": "1. On Sept. 6, 2026, Acton's campaign said \"an armed individual lunged at Dr. Acton, injuring multiple people.\" CBS/AP's first report said an armed man was arrested \"after charging toward\" her. 2. The sheriff said Havas pushed through the crowd \"while holding a cell phone up\" and knocked over two older people. He was carrying weapons that, according to law enforcement, he never brandished. He was charged with two counts of assault, one of disorderly conduct and one of inducing panic. 3. Signal Ohio reported that, according to the county prosecutor, Havas \"filmed himself walking toward\" Acton \"and calling out her name.\" 4. On Oct. 22, a judge ruled the weapons can't be used as evidence. The judge wrote that the sight of a holstered handgun \"does not automatically induce panic in the State of Ohio.\"",
        "sources": [
          {
            "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/amy-acton-ohio-armed-man-attack/",
            "archive_url": null,
            "outlet": "cbsnews.com",
            "reliability": "reliable"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://www.wfmj.com/news/local-news/canfield/judge-says-weapons-cannot-be-used-as-evidence-in-amy-acton-canfield-fair-disturbance-case/article_f9924cb5-cd8d-440f-8ece-f60cce19a4e8.html",
            "archive_url": null,
            "outlet": "wfmj.com",
            "reliability": "needs_second_source"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://signalohio.org/what-to-know-about-the-amy-acton-canfield-fair-incident-in-ohio/",
            "archive_url": null,
            "outlet": "signalohio.org",
            "reliability": "needs_second_source"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2026/09/07/amy-actons-assassination-attempt-story-is-a-complete-lie-and-we-have-the-receipts-n4956975",
            "archive_url": null,
            "outlet": "pjmedia.com",
            "reliability": "needs_second_source"
          }
        ],
        "items": [
          {
            "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/amy-acton-ohio-armed-man-attack/",
            "archive_url": null,
            "kind": "article",
            "outlet": "cbsnews.com",
            "captured": "2026-10-23",
            "quote": "An armed man was arrested after charging toward the Democratic candidate for Ohio governor, Amy Acton",
            "timestamp": null,
            "engagement": {}
          },
          {
            "url": "https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2026/09/07/amy-actons-assassination-attempt-story-is-a-complete-lie-and-we-have-the-receipts-n4956975",
            "archive_url": null,
            "kind": "article",
            "outlet": "pjmedia.com",
            "captured": "2026-10-23",
            "quote": "You may have heard about the alleged assassination attempt against Ohio Democrat gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton over the weekend.",
            "timestamp": null,
            "engagement": {}
          }
        ],
        "corrections": [
          {
            "date": "2026-10-23",
            "text": "Added PJ Media to the sources; it is the page that carries the Acton campaign's statement quoted here."
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}