US President Donald Trump announced that he is going to designate Antifa as a "major terrorist organization," according to a post on Truth Social made on Wednesday.
"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," Trump posted.
He also explained, "I will also be strongly recommending that those funding Antifa be thoroughly investigated in accordance with the highest legal standards and practices. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
The decision comes after several "Antifa-like" protests erupted in the last couple of years in the US, with Trump calling protesters wearing all black clothing Antifa, regardless of their real association with the movement.
It was not clear what legal weight Trump's proclamation carried. Antifa is a loosely organized ideological movement without a clear leadership structure or hierarchy, experts said.
Trump initially floated the idea of such a designation for Antifa in 2020 amid violent nationwide protests following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
At the time, legal experts said such a step lacked a basis in law, would be hard to execute, and raised free-speech concerns, given that subscription to an ideology is not generally considered criminal.
A day after Utah prosecutors unveiled formal charges against the suspect in the assassination of Charlie Kirk, no evidence has emerged connecting 22-year-old Tyler Robinson with any outside group. Questions also remain about his precise motives.
Trump and senior officials have repeatedly blamed left-wing groups for creating an atmosphere of hostility towards conservatives before Kirk's assassination. Critics say that Trump is using Kirk's assassination as a pretext to crack down on political opponents.
US Vice President JD Vance, in an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, repeatedly blamed what he called left-wing political radicalization for the assassination.
He said the White House was working hard to ensure that "funding networks for left-wing violence" are going to be treated like a terrorist organization.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for further details on Wednesday.
What is Antifa?
Antifa is a left-wing movement that aims to "fight fascism," even without a clear structure, strategy, or definition of how this fighting should be done.
It arrived in the US from Western Europe in the 1980s as a form of opposition to both the rise of right-wing politicians and capitalism, with events like the “Battle in Seattle” protests against the World Trade Organization.
More recently, a police report cited by The Wall Street Journal explained that Charlie Kirk's assassin had three unspent rounds in the magazine, all with the wording tied to transgender and antifascist ideology.
Other recent examples of the Antifa movement can be seen in investigative reporter Katie Daviscourt, who said, "Antifa militants have taken over the University of Washington campus to protest Israel."
This was how she called thirty pro-Palestinian protesters who were arrested after illegally occupying a University of Washington building to demand divestment from Boeing in May 2025.
Mathilda Heller and Seth J. Frantzman contributed to this report.