Trump has designated 'antifa' a terrorist group. Here are the questions that raises
NPR Online NewsSEP 20
Trump Designates Antifa a Domestic Terrorist Organization
Above: Anti-fascist protestors in New York City, New York, on April 19, 2025. Image copyright: UCG/Universal Images Group/Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-government narrative
Antifa is a clear and present danger to American democracy, through its coordinated campaigns of violence designed to overthrow the government. The group has regularly attacked law enforcement officials, organized riots, and radicalized young Americans into its dangerous creed. Antifa’s proscription, therefore, was a necessity to safeguard America and protect law and order.
Government-critical narrative
Designating Antifa as a terrorist organization threatens fundamental citizen rights and sets a dangerous precedent for silencing dissent in America. Being a decentralized movement rather than a formal organization, Antifa’s classification is both legally problematic and potentially unconstitutional, with this latest example of executive overreach potentially violating the First Amendment.