President Donald Trump is set to move forward with a campaign promise by signing an executive order that designates antifa as a domestic terrorist organization. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday that the order could be signed as soon as later in the day, emphasizing the administration’s view that antifa-linked violence represents a growing threat to national security.
Leavitt said the decision comes after years of documented incidents tied to the far-left movement, many of which she argued were overlooked by past administrations and ignored by mainstream outlets. She pointed to recent cases as evidence of a consistent pattern of violent activity. In July 2025, members of an antifa cell allegedly ambushed officers at an ICE facility in Alvarado, Texas, injuring one officer with a gunshot to the neck. That same month, three individuals linked to the group were charged in Portland after a violent confrontation with police outside another ICE facility.
Other incidents highlighted by the administration include the February 2024 arrest of a transgender antifa supporter accused of setting off an explosive outside the Alabama attorney general’s office, the January 2022 arrest of a suspected member carrying a pipe bomb to a pro-Trump event, and a January 2021 threat by an antifa supporter to shoot police officers and Trump supporters outside the Florida state Capitol. Officials also cited the July 2020 firebombing of pro-life centers and vandalism of churches attributed to antifa members associated with the group Jane’s Revenge.
Leavitt further connected antifa to the recent assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, stating that investigators found bullet casings marked with antifa mottos at the crime scene. She said the administration sees this as yet another sign of the group’s escalating violence.
Trump himself had signaled last week that the executive order was imminent, writing in a statement that he intends to officially classify antifa as a “sick, dangerous, radical left disaster” and urging that individuals and organizations funding the group be investigated under the full extent of the law.
Leavitt underscored that the move represents a clear break from previous administrations. “Not anymore,” she said. “This is something the president campaigned on, and we should not ignore this serious threat to American safety and our national security.”
By moving to label antifa a terrorist organization, Trump is making good on a long-standing pledge to clamp down on what he has consistently described as organized left-wing violence in the United States.
