President Donald Trump signed a memorandum Thursday directing a government-wide effort to counter domestic terrorism and political violence, building on his earlier order designating antifa a domestic terrorist organization.
The plan establishes a National Joint Terrorism Task Force and increases cooperation among the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and Treasury. “We’re looking at the funders of a lot of these groups,” Trump said during the signing. The memo cited assassination attempts against Trump and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, an attack on a Texas ICE facility, and riots in Los Angeles and Portland as examples of coordinated threats.
“This is the first time in American history that there is an all-government effort to dismantle left-wing terrorism,” deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said. Attorney General Pam Bondi emphasized that any group engaging in political violence could be targeted.
FBI Director Kash Patel said investigators will “follow the money” to disrupt extremist networks. Trump suggested liberal donor George Soros may be linked, though he offered no evidence.
Experts note that antifa is not a formal organization but rather a loose movement of activists. Multiple government and academic studies have also found that right-wing extremists commit the majority of domestic terrorism incidents in the United States.