US President Donald Trump announced plans to designate “Antifa” — shorthand for “anti-fascist,” describing loosely connected far-left groups — as a “major terrorist organisation,” a step he first threatened during his previous presidential term.
Trump has long blamed Antifa for violence against law enforcement officers and for participating in the January 6, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol, which sought to overturn Joe Biden’s election victory.
“I will also be strongly recommending that those funding ANTIFA be thoroughly investigated in accordance with the highest legal standards and practices,” Trump wrote Wednesday on Truth Social. He described Antifa as “A SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER.”
Antifa operates without a centralized leadership or national structure. A 2020 Congressional Research Service analysis concluded that the network is composed of “independent, radical, like-minded groups and individuals.”
The White House has yet to provide details on how this designation would be applied. Currently, federal law enforcement is tasked with addressing domestic terrorism, but the United States does not maintain a list of designated domestic terrorist organisations.
Trump’s threat follows remarks by senior White House official Stephen Miller, who vowed the administration would dismantle an alleged “vast domestic terror movement,” linking it to the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
While Trump frames Antifa as a violent threat, critics warn that such labeling could be politically motivated, potentially suppressing dissent and targeting opponents. Historically, Antifa has confronted right-wing movements and engaged in civil disobedience. Its members, often dressed in black and wearing masks, protest racism, fascism, and far-right ideologies.
During Trump’s first inauguration in January 2017, masked Antifa protesters clashed violently in Washington, D.C., and later confronted racist rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia.
In June 2020, Trump suggested he would categorize Antifa on par with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. However, FBI Director Christopher Wray emphasized in a congressional hearing that Antifa represents “a movement or an ideology,” not a formal organization.
Currently, Antifa is not listed among the 95 designated foreign terrorist organizations maintained by the US State Department.
okay.ng reports that this development underscores the Trump administration’s continued focus on domestic extremist threats amid rising political polarization and debates over civil liberties in America.
