President Trump signed an designating Antifa, an anti-fascist movement, as a domestic terrorist organization on Monday. The signing follows through with Trump’s promise in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination to crack down harder on left-wing organizations.
Trump originally announced his decision to designate antifa a domestic terrorist organization , after posting to Truth Social calling the group a “SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER, AS A MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION.”
The order Trump signed designates antifa a “domestic terrorist organization,” which grants government agencies the authority and support to investigate operations conducted by the organization. The broad mandate extends to individual antifa members in a case where an antifa member “provided material support.”
Trump’s order alleges that antifa uses “illegal means to organize and execute a campaign of violence and terrorism nationwide” in order to accomplish its goals in overthrowing the government and law enforcement.
“Individuals associated with and acting on behalf of Antifa further coordinate with other organizations and entities for the purpose of spreading, fomenting, and advancing political violence and suppressing lawful political speech,” the order states. “This organized effort designed to achieve policy objectives by coercion and intimidation is domestic terrorism.”
It is still unclear whether Trump has the authority to designate organizations as domestic terrorist groups, and the order may draw legal challenged to it.
This crackdown on left-leaning groups comes in the wake of the assassination of Charlie Kirk, with Trump administration officials claiming left-leaning organizations, like antifa, cultivated a culture of violence in the country.
Vice President Vance said the administration will also consider cutting funding to left-wing groups.