For years, politicians and the media treated Antifa as if it were just another protest movement. After countless riots, burned businesses, and attacks on police, Trump finally called it what it is. With a new executive order, he labeled Antifa a domestic terrorist organization, marking the first time that label has applied to a group based inside the United States.

Antifa is a militarist, anarchist enterprise that explicitly calls for the overthrow of the United States Government, law enforcement authorities, and our system of law.

Thanks to the leadership of President Trump, they are now classified as a domestic terrorist organization. pic.twitter.com/0Fb6n0TLLy

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 23, 2025

We have all seen the images. Antifa shows up in black masks, breaks windows, sets fires, and shouts down anyone who dares to disagree. Politicians shrugged and called it activism. Trump chose to call it terrorism.

The new order would require his administration to “investigate, disrupt and dismantle” individuals and groups associating themselves with the anti-fascist ideology antifa, including against “those who fund such operations.”

The order does not spell out what steps the government would take against the leaderless movement. Federal law enforcement has previously characterized antifa as an ideology, rather than a unified organization and the administration has not singled out specific individuals or groups it would target.

Labeling a U.S.-based entity as a terrorist organization also marks an unprecedented step since all of the 219 organizations with that State Department designation are foreign. – Politico

And the record is not short on examples. In Atlanta in 2023, masked agitators stormed the site of a planned police training facility known as “Cop City,” torching equipment and hurling Molotov cocktails. More than twenty people were arrested and charged with domestic terrorism.

And let’s not forget Tesla dealerships in several states were vandalized and even set on fire in a wave of attacks that reporters described as Antifa style. Individuals have been charged in connection with some of those incidents, though investigators are still untangling how much was coordinated.

Designating Antifa as a Domestic Terrorist Organization

The 360-word order tells federal agencies to start treating Antifa like an organized threat, not just a noisy street crowd. It directs them to follow the money, look into who is backing the movement, and prosecute people tied to violent acts.

Critics are already arguing that the president does not have the authority to put a domestic group in the same category as foreign terrorist organizations.

The announcement drew criticism from Rep. Bennie Thompson, the ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee. In a statement, the Mississippi Democrat called the order an unprecedented action that ignores the larger threat from right-wing extremism.

“Designating Antifa, which has no defined organizational structure or leadership, as a domestic terrorism organization is not only incorrect, it serves no purpose other than an excuse for the Trump administration to stifle dissent, investigate anyone, or any group, they don’t like, punish their enemies, and potentially label any American they want as a terrorist,” Thompson said. – Politico

The U.S. has always kept a formal list of foreign terrorist organizations. What it has never done is apply that label to a group inside our own borders. Trump’s order changes that by naming Antifa a domestic terrorist organization, a first in American history.

It is fair to raise questions about free speech, but this order does not target words. It targets violent actions. Our Constitution protects unpopular opinions. It does not protect Molotov cocktails, arson, or assault.

While Antifa’s existence in the US dates back decades, it rose to prominence following Trump’s first election victory in 2016 and the far-right rally in Charlottesville in 2017, where various anti-fascist groups started to come together.

Since then, activists identifying with Antifa have routinely clashed with right-wing groups, both in heated arguments online and also in physical altercations across the US.

The lack of a centralised organisation means that Antifa cells tend to form organically, both online and offline, and its activists include anarchists, communists and hardline socialists who broadly share anti-government, anti-capitalist, pro-LGBTQ, and pro-immigration views. – BBC

The last paragraph above in the BBC quote is precisely why the Executive Order was written. To find out who funds these “organic” cells. Any guesses? I have a few.

Donald Trump just signed an order officially designating Antifa a domestic terrorist organization

Stephen Miller just said “We will dismantle Antifa”

We MUST go after Antifa’s funder, George Soros

Antifa chants “George Soros where’s our money” demanding payment for protesting pic.twitter.com/SPgUlSNkH5

— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) September 23, 2025

Show Me The Money

Antifa doesn’t exactly have an office or a bank account we can pull records from, but the money has to come from somewhere. Some of it is obvious. They raise bail money and “protest support” funds online, and plenty of people chip in thinking they are helping a good cause.

Then there are the nonprofits. The kinds of groups with nice sounding names about “justice” or “community safety.” Donors give money, it gets shuffled around, and somehow it shows up in the hands of activists who always seem to have brand new gear and travel money.

Big progressive donor names always float to the surface. Soros and others like him may not be writing checks made out to Antifa, but their networks fund the same world of causes. The overlap is hard to ignore.

I would not rule out foreign influence either. If you were China or Russia, would you not want to fuel chaos in American cities? Even a trickle of money into the right channels could stir a lot of trouble.

And of course, there is the local side. Small networks passing the hat, selling merch, pooling funds for travel, helmets, shields. It adds up.

We do not know the full picture yet. But this is where Trump’s order could actually matter. It gives the government a reason to follow the money trail and maybe finally shine some light on who has been bankrolling the chaos.

Time for Accountability

Antifa has left behind burned businesses, torched police cars, injured officers, and neighborhoods scarred by fear. Calling that “activism” has always been a lie. Trump’s order finally names the threat for what it is. The next step is making sure those who fund and fuel this violence are exposed and held accountable.

Featured Image: Chad Davis/Antifa/Flickr/License: CC BY 2.0/edited in Canva Pro