Announcement

President Trump announced his intention to designate Antifa as a “major terrorist organization.”

Context

Antifa – the decentralized political movement whose name is short for anti-fascist – gained prominence in the US after Trump’s first inauguration in 2017, when left-wing groups participated in riots and arson in Washington, DC.

The movement expanded after confrontations between leftist groups and neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, Virginia, that same year. Antifa had also clashed with other right-wing groups, including libertarians and pro-Trump demonstrators, throughout Trump’s first term. Trump previously raised the idea of designating Antifa as a terrorist organization in 2020 during protests following George Floyd’s death.

Announcement

The president described Antifa as a “SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER” in his Truth Social post on Wednesday. He also stated he would be “strongly recommending” that those funding Antifa be investigated according to the “highest legal standards.” The announcement came days after Trump told reporters he would “100%” consider the designation if it had support from Attorney General Pam Bondi and his cabinet.