Trump announces plan to designate Antifa as a terrorist organization

US President Donald Trump has announced plans to designate the Antifa movement as a “terrorist organization.”

In a post on the Truth Social platform late Wednesday, Trump described the group as a “sick, dangerous, radical left disaster” and a “major terrorist organization.”

“I will also strongly recommend that those who provide funding to Antifa be thoroughly investigated in accordance with the highest legal standards and practices. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump said.

It is unclear exactly who or what the US president is targeting, as “Antifa,” short for “anti-fascists,” is a loose group of activists opposed to right-wing ideology, with no distinct leader, structure, or membership list.

Trump’s statement regarding Antifa came after senior White House officials said they would dismantle a “widespread domestic terror movement” on the occasion of the Charlie Kirk assassination, which they claim was instigated by leftist activists.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller stated that the Trump administration “will use all the outrage we feel about the organized campaign that led to this assassination to uproot and destroy these terrorist networks.”

Critics say the Trump administration is using Kirk’s killing as a pretext to target political opponents in the US.

Investigators have not yet disclosed the motive for Kirk’s killing, which authorities allege was carried out by 22-year-old Tyler Robinson of Utah, but many on the right wing of the political divide blame leftist ideology for the assassination.

Following Trump’s announcement, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy said, “Antifa has used the movement of legitimate grievances to promote violence and anarchy, and has worked against justice for all.”

Cassidy argued that by designating Antifa as “domestic terrorists,” the President rightly acknowledges their “destructive role.”

During his first term, Trump had threatened to designate Antifa as a terrorist organization in May 2020, following widespread protests across the US in response to the killing of George Floyd.

Trump sought to hold Antifa activists responsible for acts of “domestic terrorism,” accusing them of instigating and leading the fiery and sometimes violent protests.