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Donald Trump stated Thursday morning that he aims to designate antifa as a “key radical entity”.

What Is Antifa?

Antifa, which is “anti-fascists,” refers to a wide-ranging label for far-left-leaning advocacy movements. This is not a single organization, but includes various collectives that confront neo-Nazis, particularly during protests.

Legal and Governmental Challenges

It is still uncertain how the White House could legally classify what is largely a fragmented activist network as a terrorist organization. The White House has yet to clarify further details as of midweek.

Antifa is a domestic entity and, accordingly, cannot be included for the State Department’s registry of international extremist groups. This registry contains dozens of groups, such as ISIL and al-Qaeda.

Currently, the US lacks a domestic equivalent due in part to sweeping First Amendment protections granted to entities based in the America. Regardless of repeated demands, particularly after mass shootings carried out by white supremacists, to establish a domestic terrorism law, no specific statute is in place.

Trump’s Remarks

President Trump, at the time on a state visit to the Britain, issued the statement on a digital update around 1:30 AM this past Thursday. He called antifa as a “SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER”. Additionally, he mentioned that he will be “strongly recommending” that funders of antifa be investigated.

While speaking with reporters in the presidential office on Monday, the president said that he would move toward a domestic terrorism designation for antifa on condition that such a action had the support of the top legal official and others in his team.

“This is something I am willing to do, indeed,” the president stated. “I support that fully. Antifa is a problem.”

Legislative Reactions

That evening, Bill Cassidy, commended the president’s statement, saying: “Antifa seized upon a wave of valid concerns to advance chaos and lawlessness, undermining fairness and equality. Trump is right to recognize the harmful influence of antifa by classifying them as national security threats.”

Two years ago, Cassidy and Ted Cruz put forward a resolution in the Senate to censure the aggressive behaviors of antifa and to designate the group a national terrorist group.

Historical Background

Last year, amid the widespread rallies, Trump also proposed the concept of classifying antifa as a extremist group.

Trump’s former head of the FBI, Wray, testified publicly that antifa is an set of beliefs, not an organization, lacking the organized leadership that would typically allow it to be designated as a radical network by the authorities.