U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order officially designating the antifa movement as a “terrorist organization,” the White House said. The move follows Trump’s promise to act against left-wing groups after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk earlier this month.
Kirk, who was speaking on a college campus in Utah on September 10, was killed by a 22-year-old technical college student, who has been charged with the murder. Investigators have not linked the suspect to any organized groups. Nevertheless, the Trump administration is using the killing to justify renewed efforts against left-leaning movements it deems hostile to conservative causes.
Antifa, short for anti-fascist, is a decentralized and leaderless movement made up of loose networks, groups, and individuals. While some affiliated actors have engaged in violence, the Anti-Defamation League notes that such actions are not typical.
Trump’s 370-word order directs all executive agencies to “investigate, disrupt, and dismantle any and all illegal operations” associated with antifa or its funding sources. According to the White House, individuals linked to the movement coordinate with others to spread political violence and suppress lawful political speech.
Federal law enforcement, including the FBI’s Counterterrorism and Counterintelligence Divisions, will track both domestic and foreign funding and attempt to identify central leadership within the movement. The order, officials say, would expand investigative powers typically restricted by constitutional protections and domestic terrorism laws.
Critics warn the designation could threaten free speech and raise constitutional concerns, as U.S. law does not currently allow the government to label solely domestic groups as terrorist organizations. Legal experts have described the order as potentially difficult to enforce and constitutionally dubious.
During Trump’s first term, previous efforts to designate antifa as a terrorist organization failed, according to Department of Homeland Security communications. This latest executive order marks the administration’s most comprehensive attempt to date to classify the decentralized movement as a domestic threat.
