President Donald Trump said Wednesday night that he is designating antifa as a “major terrorist organization.”
“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. I will also be strongly recommending that those funding ANTIFA be thoroughly investigated in accordance with the highest legal standards and practice,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Antifa is classified as a movement, not a specific group, so it’s unclear how Trump will carry out his order.
Trump previously declared antifa a terrorist organization during his first term as president in May 2020 and said earlier this week that he was open to doing it again after conservative activist Charlie Kirk‘s assassination.
“It’s something I would do, yeah,” Trump told reporters on Monday at the White House in response to a question. “Also, I’ve been speaking to the attorney general about bringing RICO against some of the people … that have been putting up millions and millions of dollars for agitation.”
Designating antifa as a terrorist organization could allow Trump to freeze the assets of connected groups or cut off funding sources.
The president suggested his administration would target “radical-left” groups after Kirk’s assassination last week.
“My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence, including the organizations that fund it and support it, as well as those who go after our judges, law enforcement officials, and everyone else who brings order to our country,” he said, going on to reference the assassination attempts against himself and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) and the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
MSNBC ANALYST MATTHEW DOWD FIRED AFTER ‘INSENSITIVE’ CHARLIE KIRK SHOOTING REMARKS
Alleged Kirk shooter Tyler Robinson wrote the song title “Bella Ciao” on an unfired bullet casing. The song was popularized as an anti-fascist anthem in Italy following World War II.
It’s unclear if Robinson was a member of the antifa movement.
