President Donald Trump said Monday he is “100%” supportive of designating Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization, citing a surge in left-wing violence.
Asked in the Oval Office by The Center Square whether he would move forward with such a designation in the wake of recent political violence — including last week’s assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk — Trump signaled his full backing.
“I would do that 100% and others also, by the way, but Antifa is terrible,” Trump told the outlet on Monday.
The president said his focus would not stop with Antifa, noting he may consider designating additional groups but declined to identify them by name. He added that he has discussed with Attorney General Pam Bondi the possibility of pursuing federal RICO — Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act — charges against certain organizations and their donors.
“There are other groups, yeah, there are other groups. We have some pretty radical groups, and they got away with murder,” Trump told the outlet “And also, I’ve been speaking to the Attorney General about bringing RICO against some of the people that you’ve been reading about that have been putting up millions and millions of dollars for agitation.
“These are protests. These are crimes. What they’re doing, where they’re throwing bricks at cars of the of ICE and border patrol,” he said.
Trump made the remarks during an event in Memphis, Tenn., where he declared a crime emergency. He was joined by several top officials, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, War Secretary Pete Hegseth, and FBI Director Kash Patel.
At one point, the president turned to the group — specifically Bondi — to seek confirmation of the proposal. She nodded in agreement.
Antifa, short for “anti-fascist,” is a loose left-wing movement with a strong presence in the Pacific Northwest. The group has been linked to violent protests, some targeting federal government buildings.
Trump’s comments come on the heels of the political assassination of Turning Point USA founder and conservative youth activist Charlie Kirk last week during an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
Preliminary evidence uncovered by the FBI and local police indicate that the alleged shooter, Tyler Robinson, 22, may have become radicalized by left-wing influences.
The day after the assassination, Robinson appeared in an online group chat, joking that someone was trying to get him in trouble. Hours later, he allegedly confessed to the crime before surrendering to authorities.
In a Discord chat, an acquaintance who tagged Tyler Robinson’s username attached the images and wrote “wya” — where you at? — with a skull emoji. The post suggested Robinson, 22, looked like the man being sought in the assassination.
Robinson replied within a minute. His “doppelganger,” he wrote, was trying to “get me in trouble.” Another user quickly followed: “Tyler killed Charlie!!!!” The message appeared to be in jest, but Robinson would be arrested and charged with the murder a day later.
The Discord messages provided the clearest look so far at Robinson’s state of mind in the hours following the killing. The messages were shared with The New York Times by a former high school acquaintance who remains in the same 20-member chat group.
The source, who requested anonymity out of fear of harassment, was verified by the Times as having attended high school with Robinson, along with other confirmed details.
Robinson’s online activity did not stop with the joking response. Later that next day, in a separate Discord chat, the suspect allegedly admitted to being the shooter and apologized to his friends, The Washington Post reported.
“Hey guys, I have bad news for you all,” Robinson allegedly wrote, according to screenshots reviewed by The Washington Post. “It was me at UVU yesterday. I’m sorry for all of this.”
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