President Donald Trump on Wednesday ordered his Cabinet to pursue labeling Antifa as a foreign terrorist organization, signaling a major escalation in the administration’s effort to crack down on the decentralized movement. The directive came at a White House event where journalists who say they were attacked by Antifa activists shared their accounts; Trump told them, “If you agree, I agree. Let’s get it done.”
Standing with the president were key officials including Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said there is evidence of “extensive foreign ties,” calling an FTO designation “a very valid step.”
The move follows Trump’s September 22, 2025, executive order that labeled Antifa a domestic terrorist organization — a largely symbolic action because U.S. law imposes few legal penalties for that classification alone. Declaring Antifa an official foreign terrorist organization, however, would unlock powerful federal tools: financial sanctions, travel bans, asset freezes and criminal exposure for anyone who knowingly provides “material support” to the group. Under U.S. law, material support can include money, communications equipment, training, transportation, and other tangible or intangible assistance.
Administration officials framed the escalation as a shift from rhetoric to enforceable action. During the 2020 unrest, then-Attorney General William Barr identified Antifa as a significant violent actor, warning that extremist networks can exploit unrest. The current administration says it is following that lead and moving to use national-security authorities to dismantle violent networks that it contends have intimidated communities, doxxed citizens, and disrupted public safety.
Whether the State Department will ultimately approve and formalize the FTO label remains to be seen. But the White House made its position clear: violent extremism cloaked as protest will be treated as a national security threat — and the administration is prepared to use the full range of legal tools to counter it.
The post Trump Orders Cabinet To Label Antifa A Foreign Terror Organization appeared first on Real News Now.
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