On Thursday, former President Donald Trump issued a controversial presidential memorandum aimed at addressing what he has referred to as a radical leftwing domestic “terror network.” Critics have expressed concerns that this memorandum may serve as a legal basis for a sweeping crackdown on political opponents. During a signing ceremony in the Oval Office, Trump described the memorandum's purpose as establishing a comprehensive strategy to “investigate, disrupt, and dismantle all stages of organized political violence and domestic terrorism.”
This initiative is framed as part of an administration-wide response that involves collaboration among multiple federal agencies, including the FBI’s joint terrorism taskforces, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Treasury. Surrounded by cabinet members, Trump emphasized the goal of targeting “the funders of a lot of these groups.” However, he remained vague about which specific groups he intended to focus on or who these funders might be.
Trump asserted that “anarchists and agitators” are often financially supported by wealthy individuals, some of whom he claims to know personally. “You wouldn’t know at dinner with them. Everything’s nice, and then you find out that they funded millions of dollars to these lunatics,” he stated. When pressed by journalists, Trump hinted that George Soros, the billionaire philanthropist known for funding the Open Society Foundations, could be a target, alongside billionaire venture capitalist Reid Hoffman.
In response to the memorandum, the Open Society Foundations criticized the Trump administration for what they deemed politically motivated attacks on civil society. This memorandum follows a surge of rightwing sentiments calling for retribution after the murder of far-right pundit Charlie Kirk on September 10. Trump's supporters have blamed this incident on an organized leftwing network, despite initial reports suggesting the suspect acted independently.
The memorandum combines various seemingly unrelated incidents, including a foiled assassination attempt on Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the murder of the CEO of United Healthcare, and unrest in cities like Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, who has been vocal in advocating for this crackdown, described the initiative as “historical and significant.” He asserted that this is the first comprehensive effort in American history to dismantle what he calls leftwing terrorism.
Miller stated that the joint terrorism taskforce would serve as “the hub” of this initiative, aiming to dismantle organizations involved in political violence. He claimed that an entire system of feeder organizations is responsible for funding harassment, doxing, and intimidation of public officials. “It is terrorism on our soil. We are going to use the entire force of the federal government to uproot these organizations, root and branch,” Miller declared.
Trump and his allies have primarily associated political violence with leftwing groups, often overlooking instances where Democrats are targeted by individuals believed to be rightwing extremists. On his Truth Social network, Trump directly linked the attack on the ICE facility to Democrats’ criticisms of his immigration policies, echoing his response to Kirk’s murder. He stated, “The continuing violence from Radical Left Terrorists...must be stopped.”
However, authorities have indicated that there is no evidence tying the suspect in the ICE facility attack to any specific group or government agency. Following Kirk’s death, Trump issued an executive order classifying antifa as a “domestic terrorist organization.” The new memorandum articulates that the political violence seen across the country is not a series of isolated incidents; rather, it results from organized campaigns of intimidation and violence aimed at silencing dissent and undermining democratic processes.
“A new law enforcement strategy that investigates all participants in these criminal and terroristic conspiracies—including the organized structures, networks, entities, organizations, funding sources, and predicate actions behind them—is required,” the memorandum states, highlighting the administration’s commitment to tackling what it perceives as a significant threat to national security.
