Donald Trump has issued a stark warning that his administration will pursue anyone bankrolling the anti-fascist Antifa movement , with the president suggesting that some of the suspected funders could be elite individuals he has “dined with.”
He delivered these remarks whilst hosting a White House roundtable on Wednesday to address Antifa concerns.
Last month, he signed an executive order branding the movement a domestic “terrorist organisation.” The news comes as ‘Caribbean war’ begins: Latin American nation warns Trump of armed response to bombed ship.
“They [Antifa] have been very threatening to people, but we’re going to be threatening to them. Far more threatening to them than they ever were with us, and that includes the people that fund them,” Trump declared.
“Probably some of the people I know, some of the people I dined with. If they do they’re in deep trouble. So we’re going to be looking very strongly at the people funding these operations.”, reports the Express US.
Antifa serves as an umbrella term for far-left militant groups that challenge or oppose neo-Nazis and white supremacists during demonstrations.
The president has previously branded the movement as a “sick, dangerous, radical Left disaster.”
This classification empowers the Justice Department to pursue individuals providing material backing to organisations on the terror list, regardless of whether such support leads to violence.
The executive order alleged that Antifa employs “illegal means to organize and execute a campaign of violence and terrorism nationwide” in an attempt to topple the federal government.
The directive instructs relevant government departments and agencies to probe, disrupt and dismantle all unlawful operations, including terrorist activities conducted by Antifa or anyone purporting to act in its name.
This follows Trump’s continued threats to deploy National Guard troops into Democrat-controlled cities, as part of an extensive crime crackdown that commenced in Washington DC.
During the roundtable discussion, US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem alleged Democrats were “absolutely covering up the terrorism that is hitting their streets.”
She branded Antifa as seeking “to destroy the American people and their way of life.”
The Antifa movement encourages supporters to engage in lawful protest activity alongside more confrontational tactics, according to a 2018 Congressional Research Service report.
Throughout Trump’s initial presidency, he held Antifa responsible for violence during demonstrations sparked by George Floyd’s death.
He has recently resumed targeting Antifa following last month’s killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.