Turning point: Trump recognized the Antifa movement as terrorist

On Thursday, September 18, it became known that US President Donald Trump recognized the Antifa movement as a terrorist organization. He wrote about this on his page on the Truth Social network. Thus, the American leader turned into reality the initiative that he had expressed during his first presidential term. The issue has become relevant again after the high-profile murder of Charlie Kirk, the executive director of the most influential right-wing conservative youth organization in the United States, Turning Point USA. For more information about the Antifa movement and why Trump recognized it as a terrorist organization, see the Izvestia article.

Trump recognized the Antifa movement as terrorist: what is known, the reasons

On his page on the Truth Social network, Donald Trump announced the recognition of Antifa as a terrorist movement:

"I am pleased to inform many of our patriots in the United States that I recognize Antifa, a sick, dangerous, leftist disaster, as a major terrorist organization." Trump also threatened investigations against those who finance this movement.

It is important to note that this is not the first time the American leader has spoken out against the movement. He last announced this in the summer of 2020, at the end of his first term.

Then, against the background of the murder of George Floyd by a policeman in Minneapolis, protests broke out in the country under the slogans of the BLM, which quickly escalated into mass riots: participants smashed shop windows and engaged in looting. At the same time, it was mentioned about the possible connection between the Antifa and BLM movements and their common goal — the destruction of American society. The US media, mostly pro—democracy, wrote that by calling "Antifa" terrorists, Trump was trying to shift the blame for the protests onto them.

In 2025, Donald Trump returned to the idea of banning the movement amid the assassination of Charlie Kirk on September 10. The day after the murder, investigators found bullets with the slogans "Antifa" engraved on the rifle, which allegedly belonged to the shooter. It was not specified exactly which phrases they were. On September 16, the American leader said that if there was public support, he could recognize the movement as terrorist.

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"Antifa": what is it, goals, movement or organization

"Antifa" is short for anti-fascist, "antifascists". Members of the movement oppose actions that they consider authoritarian, homophobic, racist, or xenophobic.

At its core, it is a disparate and decentralized anti-fascist movement in the United States that does not have a leader, membership roles, or any clearly defined centralized structure. The movement includes people who share common protest tactics and goals. It consists of local groups, activists, and social media communities. Due to the lack of any organized structure, it is impossible to say with certainty how many people are involved in the movement.

Although Antifa is not officially affiliated with other movements, its members collaborate with some activist networks that unite around the same issues, such as Black Lives Matter.

Can the Antifa movement be officially recognized as a terrorist organization in the United States?

Back in 2020, critics noted that the United States does not have a law on combating terrorism within the country, so the statement recognizing "antifascists" as terrorists has no clear legal basis. Firstly, Antifa has no signs of an organization, but only an ideological component. That is, it becomes more difficult to recognize it as a terrorist from a legal point of view.

Secondly, US laws allow the imposition of sanctions only against foreign groups. Sanctions against movements that have emerged within the country would be contrary to the First Amendment to the country's Constitution.