Trump to designate Antifa as terrorist organization

President Donald Trump announced that he is designating Antifa as a major terrorist organization, following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

“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,” Trump wrote in a post on Wednesday night.

Trump added that he would recommend investigations into those funding Antifa “in accordance with the highest legal standards and practices.”

Two days earlier, Trump said at the White House that he was “100%” open to such a designation for Antifa and other “radical groups” and suggested the Justice Department could pursue racketeering charges against individuals providing financial support.

Antifa, short for “anti-fascist,” is generally described by experts as a loose, decentralized movement rather than a formal organization.

Trump’s announcement comes one week after Kirk, the 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. Utah Governor Spencer Cox called it a “political assassination.”

Authorities have charged 22-year-old Tyler Robinson with aggravated murder after he was arrested during a manhunt. The suspect could face the death penalty.