Overview

• Trump announced on Truth Social that he is designating “Antifa” a “major terrorist organization” and urged investigations into those he says finance its activities.
• Legal scholars and federal guidance note there is no federal process to designate domestic groups as terrorist organizations, a tool reserved for foreign entities under State Department authority.
• Current and former officials have described Antifa as a decentralized movement or ideology without leadership or membership rolls, complicating any attempt to apply an organizational label.
• White House aides signaled the Justice Department will seek to identify and probe alleged funding networks tied to Antifa-related violence, though how such inquiries would define targets remains unclear.
• The push follows the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and the arrest of Tyler Robinson, as critics warn of First Amendment risks and Canadian officials decline to say whether they would pursue a similar designation.