President Trump says he is designating Antifa as a terrorist organization

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President Donald Trump announced early Thursday that he intends to designate antifa as a “major terrorist organization,” escalating his administration’s stance against the far-left activist movement.

Antifa, short for “anti-fascists,” is not a single group but rather a loose network of activists known for confronting fascist and neo-Nazi movements, often at protests. Its decentralized structure raises questions about how the U.S. government could apply a formal terrorist designation.

The president, currently on a state visit to the UK, made the declaration on social media shortly before 1:30 a.m. local time. In his post, Trump described antifa as a “SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER” and said he would “strongly recommend” investigations into the group’s financial backers.

Unlike organizations such as Islamic State or al-Qaida, which appear on the State Department’s list of foreign terrorist groups, antifa operates entirely within the U.S. As a domestic movement, it is not eligible for the same classification. Existing federal law does not include a domestic equivalent list, largely due to First Amendment protections and the absence of a dedicated domestic terrorism statute.

Trump has previously signaled interest in pursuing such a designation. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office earlier this week, he said he would act if the move had the support of then–Attorney General Pam Bondi and other cabinet members. “It’s something I would do, yeah. I would do that 100%. Antifa is terrible,” he said.

The announcement drew swift support from some Republicans. Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana praised the move on Wednesday night, arguing that antifa had “seized upon a movement of legitimate grievances to promote violence and anarchy, working against justice for all.” Cassidy, along with Texas Senator Ted Cruz, introduced a Senate resolution in 2019 urging the federal government to label antifa a domestic terror organization.

The White House has yet to provide details on how Trump’s proposed designation would be implemented.

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