President Trump said Monday that he would be willing to deem Antifa and other far-left groups as domestic terrorist organizations.
“It’s something I would do, yeah, if I have support from the people back here,” Mr. Trump said, referring to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who stood behind him in the Oval Office.
“I would do that 100% and others, also, but the way. But Antifa is terrible,” Mr. Trump said. “There are other groups. We have some pretty radical groups that got away with murder.”
The president’s remarks come amid anger in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Trump administration officials have vowed to use “every resource” available across the federal government to target left-wing organizations that they contend are promoting political violence.
Law enforcement authorities investigating Mr. Kirk’s killing have said the suspect, Tyler Robinson, had a “leftist ideology” and had become increasingly political in recent years. However, he has not been linked to any specific left-wing organization, nor have authorities provided more details on his political views.
Authorities revealed that Mr. Robinson engraved politically charged messages on bullet casings used in Mr. Kirk’s murder. These inscriptions are tied to internet memes about anti-fascist symbolism and have raised questions about the influence of Antifa, a loose movement associated with opposition to fascism.
Mr. Trump said the groups could face racketeering charges under the RICO Act, which allows prosecutors to target organized crime activities that arise from the existence of a criminal enterprise, such as a gang or corporation. It’s typically used to target loan sharking, racketeering and gambling. The cases are often complex and lengthy but lead to severe penalties.
“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,” the president said.
Mr. Trump last month called for billionaire George Soros and his son Alex to face federal racketeering charges, accusing them of supporting “violent protests.” They have denied the claims.
Vice President J.D. Vance and Stephen Miller, deputy White House chief of staff, on Monday discussed plans to “go after” left-wing non-government organizations, or NGOs. They said the groups support “doxxing” campaigns against conservatives, help orchestrate riots, publicize the addresses of political opponents and promote messages intended to create violence.
The pair discussed the plan while Mr. Vance guest-hosted Mr. Kirk’s podcast to pay tribute to his slain friend.
Mr. Miller said leftwing violence is a “vast domestic terrorist movement,” and vowed that the Trump administration would use “every resource” at the Justice Department, Homeland Security and elsewhere to “identify, disrupt, dismantle and destroy” the networks.
