WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said early Thursday that he plans to designate antifa as a \u201cmajor terrorist organization.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Antifa, short for short for \u201canti-fascists,\u201d is an umbrella term for far-left-leaning militant groups and is not a singular entity. They consist of groups that resist fascists and neo-Nazis, especially at demonstrations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s unclear how the administration would label what is effectively a decentralized movement as a terrorist organization, and the White House on Wednesday did not immediately offer more details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump, who is on a state visit to the United Kingdom<\/a>, made the announcement in a social media post shortly before 1:30 a.m. Thursday local time. He called antifa a \u201cSICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER.\u201d He also said he will be \u201cstrongly recommending\u201d that funders of antifa be investigated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump\u2019s previous FBI director, Christopher Wray, said in testimony in 2020 that antifa is an ideology<\/a>, not an organization, lacking the hierarchical structure that would usually allow it to be designated as a terror group by the federal government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After Trump’s post, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., praised the announcement, saying: “Antifa seized upon a movement of legitimate grievances to promote violence and anarchy, working against justice for all. The President is right to recognize the destructive role of Antifa by designating them domestic terrorists.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In July 2019, Cassidy and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas,\u00a0introduced a resolution<\/a>\u00a0in the Senate to condemn the violent acts of antifa and to designate the group a domestic terror organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n