The Daily Populous Tuesday September 16th, 2025 day edition
Authored by cnn.com and submitted by Several_Print4633

Donald Trump National security Terrorism Tim Walz See all topics Follow

President Donald Trump said Monday he’d consider naming far-left anti-fascism group Antifa as domestic terrorists, previewing a plan to crack down on what he’s cast as a widespread network of left-wing radicals inciting violence.

“It’s something I would do, yeah,” he said when asked whether he would assign a domestic terrorism label to Antifa, saying he would proceed if he found support from Cabinet officials and the Justice Department.

It wasn’t clear who or what exactly Trump would designate; Antifa is a loosely organized movement without a distinct leader, membership lists or structure.

But the president’s openness to action underscored his intent to quickly move against political opponents. Trump could begin rolling out actions targeting liberal organizations as soon as this week, people familiar with the discussions said, as he looks to channel conservative anger over Charlie Kirk’s killing to go after his rivals.

Aside from designating certain left-wing groups as terror organizations, Trump said he was discussing bringing racketeering charges against some operations with his attorney general.

Trump has also raised the possibility of revoking tax-exempt status for liberal non-profits, and his attorney general and senior adviser have raised the prospect of criminal charges against groups or individuals who are allegedly targeting conservatives.

What actions the president ultimately takes remain an open question. But advisers said there was an across-the-administration effort underway to identify groups that target conservatives or promote violence, with a goal of taking quick action.

As Trump departs Tuesday for a state visit in the United Kingdom, team members were expected to continue those efforts in Washington, DC, while he is on the three-day trip. When he returns to the US, Trump plans to speak at a memorial service for Kirk in Arizona on Sunday.

A host of administration officials have signaled in the wake of Kirk’s assassination that they’ll be targeting what they claim is a coordinated left-wing effort to incite violence. The moves have drawn protest from some Democrats, who allege Trump is creating a pretext to crack down on dissent or opposing viewpoints.

While the suspect in Kirk’s killing held “leftist ideology,” according to Utah GOP Gov. Spencer Cox, a motive for the assassination hasn’t been unveiled. The administration has not presented evidence the 22-year-old accused gunman was working with or influenced by the groups Trump has said he is looking to target.

But the president appeared intent on targeting left-wing groups whose activity he claims has led to violence.

“Antifa is terrible. There are other groups,” he said in the Oval Office. “We have some pretty radical groups, and they got away with murder,” he added without citing any evidence or elaborating.

Trump also said he’d been discussing with Attorney General Pam Bondi the prospect of bringing racketeering charges against left-wing groups that he claimed were funding left-wing agitators.

“I’ve asked Pam to look into that in terms of RICO, bringing RICO cases,” he said, adding: “They should be put in jail, what they’re doing to this country is really subversive.”

Deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, also speaking in the Oval Office, cited a “network of organizations” that he accused of launching riots, specifically naming Black Lives Matter demonstrations.

“The key point the president has been making is somebody is paying for all of this. This is not happening for free, and so out of the president’s direction, the attorney general is going to find out who is paying for it, and they will now be criminally liable for paying for violence,” Miller added.

Trump on Monday repeated his frequent refrain that political violence comes from the left, while downplaying instances of violence or violent rhetoric that have targeted Democrats.

“The radical left causes tremendous violence, and they seem to do it in a bigger way,” he said.

Pressed on why he didn’t lower American flags after the the murder of Minnesota Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman, Trump said he would have had he been asked.

“I would have done that, but the governor of Minnesota didn’t ask me,” he said, referring to Democratic Gov. Tim Walz. “I would have done that gladly.”

Trump ordered flags flown at half-staff immediately following Kirk’s killing.

Hortman and her husband were killed in an attack over the summer in what Walz has since called a “politically motivated assassination.”

In the immediate aftermath of that shooting, Trump refused to call the governor, who ran on the 2024 presidential ticket, to offer condolences, instead calling him “whacked out” and suggesting that talking with him was unnecessary.

“I could be nice and call, but why waste time?” Trump said in June.

Teddy Tschann, a spokesperson for Walz, responded to Trump’s Monday remarks in a statement: “Governor Walz wishes that President Trump would be a President for all Americans.”

This story and headline have been updated with additional information.

CNN’s Arlette Saenz contributed to this report.

dbag3o1 on September 15th, 2025 at 22:18 UTC »

Um, so everyone at the No Kings protests was antifa?

doktorhollywood on September 15th, 2025 at 22:16 UTC »

after 1500+ pardons of convicted Jan 6th domestic terrorists.

swiftfoot_hiker on September 15th, 2025 at 22:15 UTC »

But not the actual group that stormed the capitol or the current groups calling for violence against the left. Got it...

The double standard is astounding and par for the course