Trump is fighting the Antifa movement. What you need to know

Recently, the supporters of "Antifa" have become the object of close attention of US President Donald Trump. He declared the movement an internal terrorist organization and ordered law enforcement agencies to fight it, as well as sent troops to suppress the protests he organized. What "Antifa" is and what kind of influence it has on American society is in the Izvestia article.

What is Antifa?

• The word "antifa" is an abbreviation of the term "antifascism", and it usually unites various groups and organizations that aim to fight fascism, as well as its tendencies and manifestations: neo-Nazism, racism, anti-Semitism, xenophobia and other forms of discrimination and extremism. The Antifa movement is extremely heterogeneous and decentralized, and therefore exists in various forms and practices a variety of methods of struggle.

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• In a narrower sense, "Antifa" refers to organizations that position themselves as direct successors of the German "Antifascist Action." This group existed during the years of the Weimar Republic and was a militant structure of the Communist Party of Germany, which opposed the growing power of Nazism. Many, but not all, antifa identify themselves with the "Antifascist Action", adopting its aesthetics and symbolism.

• The majority of antifa are characterized by adherence to leftist and left-wing radical views, ideologies of communism, Maoism, anarchism, anti-capitalism and anti-globalism. Sometimes they also speak out against the more moderate social democratic and liberal movements for their insufficient, in their opinion, struggle against fascism. Another characteristic feature that separates antifa from the general mass of the left is their active use of methods of direct influence on society and opponents, both nonviolent and violent.

"Antifa" in the USA

• In the USA, the term "antifa" has acquired a special connotation and has undergone some transformation, but has only become widespread in the last 10 years. Prior to this, the intense struggle between the left and the right was quite rare, resulting mainly in clashes between supporters of the Ku Klux Klan and their opponents. The most high-profile episode of their clash was the shooting in Greensboro in 1979, during which neo-Nazis killed four Maoists. It is important to note that the nonviolent struggle of blacks for their rights is not considered an "Antifa" movement.

• Since the early 2010s, the word "antifa" has entered the American political lexicon, and the election of Donald Trump as president of the country in 2016 gave a special impetus to the development and spread of this movement (it is noteworthy that the following year it became the word of the year according to the Oxford Dictionary). Since that time, "Antifa" in American discourse has usually been understood as supporters of leftist ideology who reject conservative methods of political struggle and are ready for violent actions. The Black Live Matters movement, which arose against police brutality and racism, is also considered an "Antifa" movement.

• The debate about who antifa are, what they want, and what influence they have continues unabated, with opinions varying depending on political leanings. As a rule, both Democrats and Republicans condemn antifa when they resort to mass riots, property damage, physical violence, leaks of personal information and Internet trolling. At the same time, antifa has become one of the main internal opponents for the Republican right wing and supporters of the MAGA movement.

• The Trump administration's attitude towards antifa became sharply negative after the incidents in August-September 2020. The reason was the murder of Trump supporter and far-right activist Aaron Danielson. The anti-fascist Michael Reynoel was accused of the murder, and four days later he himself was shot dead by police during his arrest. Since that time, Trump has been particularly active in criticizing Antifa and calling for the eradication of this movement.

How Trump is fighting Antifa

• After returning to the post of president of the United States, Trump continued to speak out against Antifa and left-wing radicals, but for a long time he did not take concrete action against them. The situation changed after the murder of right-wing activist Charles Kirk on September 10. Trump declared that the problem of violence in the United States comes precisely from the left and called Antifa a network of radical leftist terrorists seeking to overthrow the government through violence and agitation. The White House website has published a detailed list of incidents involving Antifa in recent years, which also includes attacks on immigration and customs enforcement officers in 2025.

• Trump also issued a separate executive order declaring Antifa an internal terrorist organization. He ordered the executive departments and agencies to use all available powers to investigate and suppress any illegal operations conducted by antifa organizations. Separately, Trump pointed out the need to prosecute individuals who provide financial support to the movement.

• In October, Trump announced that Antifa was behind the protests in Portland (where Danielson was shot), which have been going on since June in response to the actions of immigration and Customs enforcement. In this regard, he demanded the deployment of National Guard troops, but his order has been challenged in court and has not yet been implemented.