President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he is designating the anti-fascist movement known as Antifa a “major terrorist organization,” tying the move to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk last week.
Trump posted the announcement on Truth Social while in the United Kingdom for a state visit. Hours earlier, he attended a state banquet at Windsor Castle.
“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,” Trump wrote. He added that he would “strongly recommend that those funding ANTIFA be thoroughly investigated in accordance with the highest legal standards and practices.”
Senior administration officials said the decision was directly connected to Kirk’s death at Utah Valley University. The 31-year-old Turning Point USA founder was shot while speaking at the school, and prosecutors have charged a 22-year-old suspect.
Legal experts questioned whether the move can be carried out. Unlike foreign terrorist organizations, which the State Department can formally designate, U.S. law does not provide a clear process for labeling domestic political movements as terrorist groups.
Congressional Republicans have introduced measures calling for Antifa-linked violence to be treated as domestic terrorism, but those proposals stop short of creating a formal designation. Administration officials indicated they may rely on existing criminal laws and financial investigations of nonprofit networks to pursue cases.
President Donald Trump said on Monday that he is “100 percent” in favor of designating Antifa as a domestic terror organization, citing a rise in leftist violence that has escalated in recent weeks.
Asked in the Oval Office whether he would take that step following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Trump replied, “I would do that 100% and others also, by the way, but Antifa, is terrible.”
Trump suggested he may also consider other groups, but declined to identify them by name. He said he has discussed the possibility of bringing federal racketeering charges under the RICO statute against organizations and donors who fund unrest with Attorney General Pam Bondi.
“There are other groups, yeah, there are other groups. We have some pretty radical groups, and they got away with murder. And also, I’ve been speaking to the Attorney General about bringing RICO against some of the people that you’ve been reading about that have been putting up millions and millions of dollars for agitation,” Trump said.