Trump Designates Antifa as 'Major Terrorist Organization'

President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday plans to designate antifa as a “major terrorist organization.”

The Announcement: In a Truth Social post, Trump said, “I am pleased to inform our many U.S.A Patriots that I am designating ANTIFA, A SICK, Dangerous, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER, AS A MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION.”

What is Antifa: Antifa, short for “anti-fascist,” is an informal movement lacking official leaders, membership rolls, or organizational structure. The movement dates to the 1930s, when it opposed Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, later resisting white supremacists during the Cold War in Europe, and more recently emerging in the US. The group is known for employing tactics such as wearing all black and covering their faces, while often being criticized by both the left and right for their violent behavior during protests. Some believe antifa is a formal activist (or even domestic terrorist) group operating in America, while others argue antifa is not organized and is merely an ideology.

Terrorist Designation: The designation of the group remains unknown in terms of its legislative implications, as there is no federal process allowing domestic groups to be deemed terrorist organizations. Following the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk on September 10, Trump linked the alleged shooter, Tyler Robinson, to “radical” far-left activism, and said, “We have a radical left group of lunatics out there,” and “we’re going to get that problem solved.”

How The Media Covered It: CNN (Lean Left bias) highlighted Trump’s recent designation of some drug cartels as terrorist organizations, saying “unlike the US State Department’s list of foreign terror organizations,” antifa “enjoys the protections of the First Amendment.”  Newsweek (Center) also emphasized the distinction between foreign and domestic, while utilizing a warning of “longstanding consequences” from former US Navy counter-terrorism intelligence operator Malcom Nance, who said this could lead to “ANY American” being designated as a terrorist. Fox News (Right) focused heavily on comments by Trump, highlighting the “terrible” nature of antifa, calling them “professional agitators” while also linking the anti-fascist engravings reportedly found on Robinson’s bullet casings to the developments.  

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