President Donald Trump formally signed an executive order designating Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization, directing federal agencies to investigate, disrupt, and dismantle the group’s operations. The move follows the September 10 assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk and comes as other world leaders signal similar actions against Antifa.
The order declares Antifa a “militarist, anarchist enterprise” engaged in organized violence against law enforcement and political figures, and directs federal departments and agencies to investigate, disrupt, and dismantle its operations, including prosecutorial actions against those who fund them.
The measure outlines Antifa as an organized campaign that “uses illegal means to organize and execute a campaign of violence and terrorism nationwide,” including riots, assaults on Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, doxxing of political figures, and coordinated efforts to obstruct enforcement of federal laws. Trump’s directive instructs agencies to utilize all applicable authorities “to investigate, disrupt, and dismantle any and all illegal operations — especially those involving terrorist actions — conducted by Antifa or any person claiming to act on behalf of Antifa.”
Trump had previewed the move last week in a Truth Social post, calling Antifa “a sick, dangerous, radical left disaster.” A White House official told CNN at the time that the designation was one of several actions the administration planned to take against left-wing groups accused of fueling political violence. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller likewise pledged “to use the whole of the federal government to target and dismantle the organized left-wing domestic terrorist movement in the United States.”
The order comes less than two weeks after the assassination of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. Authorities reported that ammunition casings recovered from the suspected weapon were inscribed with Antifa-related slogans, including “Hey fascist! Catch!” and the chorus of “Bella Ciao,” an anthem associated with communist partisans in Italy during World War II and later adopted by Antifa groups worldwide. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox confirmed the suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, confessed to the shooting. Prosecutors have since filed seven charges against Robinson and confirmed they are seeking the death penalty.
Internationally, the designation has drawn support from allied governments. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced on Friday that his administration would also move to classify Antifa as a terrorist organization, citing Trump’s leadership. The Hungarian leader pointed to a 2023 incident in which Antifa activists allegedly used hammers to attack attendees of a memorial event in Budapest. In the Netherlands, the House of Representatives recently voted in favor of a similar motion, while in France, the government has begun proceedings to ban the Lyon-based La Jeune Garde Antifasciste.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has also condemned Antifa-linked rhetoric following Kirk’s assassination, denouncing left-wing voices who sought to justify the killing. She said the climate of political violence spreading in Europe is “unacceptable, dangerous, irresponsible and antithetical to any embryo of democracy.”
