By Robert Birsel
Copyright
President Donald Trump has identified antifa as a “major terrorist organization” and said anyone funding the movement would be investigated, prompting a terrorism analyst to warn that Trump is “setting the stage to designate ANY American as a terrorist.”Why It MattersTrump’s announcement of a terrorist designation for the antifa movement comes amid heated debate over the motive in the September 10 killing of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, which the president blamed on “fanatical leftists.”Trump’s opponents have warned that the administration will use the killing of Kirk to crack down on its opponents.What To KnowTrump announced his classification of antifa in a post on his Truth Social platform:”I am pleased to inform our many U.S.A. Patriots that I am designating ANTIFA, A SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER, AS A MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. I will also be strongly recommending that those funding ANTIFA be thoroughly investigated in accordance with the highest legal standards and practices.”Antifa, which is short for “anti-fascist,” is a left-wing, anti-fascist and anti-racist political movement in the United States, a group of loosely affiliated people with no central leadership who resist those they deem fascist or white supremacist.The ideologies of antifa adherents are based on various left-wing causes, including communism, anarchism and socialism, while many also support environmentalism, the rights of indigenous populations and LGBTQ+ rights.The roots of the anti-fascist activism can be traced to a period just after World War I when German and Italian leftists came together and fought against fascist gangs.The antifa movement in the U.S. turned more prominent after violent clashes between white supremacists and their opponents in Charlottesville, Virginia, on August 12, 2017.Antifa supporters were involved in the Black Lives Matter protests that surged in 2020 after then-Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd during an arrest on May 25 of that year. The antifa movement was often blamed by police for the violence and looting that occurred in the aftermath of the murder.What People Are SayingTrump told reporters on September 14: “If you look at the problem, the problem is on the left. It’s not on the right … and when you look at the agitators, you look at the scum that speaks so badly of our country, the American flag burnings all over the place, that’s the left, that’s not the right.”Terrorism and intelligence analyst Malcolm Nance said on X: “You cannot designate an idea as a terrorist group. There is no organization called ANTIFA. There is no leadership or funding path. There is no membership … What he is doing is setting the stage to designate ANY American as a terrorist. That’s Fascism.”What Happens NextIt remains to be seen how the Trump administration will utilize the new designation, whether to circumscribe particular individuals or groups or to take action against funding and other support for organizations or causes.Update 09/17/25, 10:45 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include more information.
