Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free
Your guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the world
US President Donald Trump has designated “Antifa” a domestic terrorist organisation, stepping up his campaign of retribution against political opponents after the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Trump signed an executive order on Monday calling Antifa a “militarist, anarchist enterprise that explicitly calls for the overthrow of the United States government, law enforcement authorities, and our system of law”.
The order would allow US government agencies to “investigate, disrupt, and dismantle any and all illegal operations” by the group.
Antifa is a decentralised activist movement which takes its name from a shorthand of “Anti Fascist”. Trump and his allies have often claimed that Antifa is the source of violent protests in American cities.
The US president also called for the group to be designated as a terrorist organisation during his first term, although no formal action followed.
Terrorist designations are normally reserved for international organisations, so the legality of the step could be challenged in court.
The Trump administration has sharply increased efforts to target political opponents and what it sees as “leftist” political and civil society groups in the wake of Kirk’s assassination earlier this month during a college campus visit in Utah.
Tyler Robinson, 22, the suspected shooter, has been charged with aggravated murder and discharging a firearm causing serious bodily injury.
The prosecutor in the case said “Charlie Kirk’s political expression” was a factor in the alleged murder, but there is no known connection between Robinson and Antifa.
Trump’s move comes as he has increased pressure on the Department of Justice and attorney-general Pam Bondi to prosecute his political foes.
In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, the president expressed to Bondi his dissatisfaction that figures such as former FBI director James Comey, Democratic California senator Adam Schiff and Letitia James, the attorney-general of New York, had not been charged with any crimes.
“We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!” Trump wrote.
At Kirk’s memorial service in Arizona on Sunday, Trump described the 31-year-old activist who helped corral young voters to the president’s side in the 2024 election as a “martyr”.
After Erika Kirk, his widow, said she forgave his assassin, Trump said: “I hate my opponent and I don’t want the best for them . . . I am sorry, Erika.”
