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The Trump administration is intensifying efforts to trace the funding behind Antifa and other protest movements, pursuing what officials describe as a coordinated campaign to expose the nonprofit and dark money networks they believe are fueling organized unrest across the country.
President Donald Trump hosted a White House roundtable Wednesday with independent journalists who have experienced Antifa’s violence firsthand, part of his administration’s broader push to confront domestic unrest.
Among those attending was Seamus Bruner, research director at the Government Accountability Institute, who said the administration’s “whole-of-government” approach is now fully underway.
“President Trump is taking it very seriously,” Bruner said, noting the president stressed the need to follow the money to officials including Attorney General Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and FBI Director Kash Patel.
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President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable meeting on Antifa at the White House, Wednesday. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo)
He argued that unmasking Antifa requires tracing its finances.
“It’s not just Antifa, but there is a whole ecosystem of radical, professional protesting organizations,” he said, describing what he calls “Riot Inc.” as a corporate-style operation with divisions for boots on the ground, marketing, PR and legal support.
Bruner also cited bail fund networks that allegedly enable repeat offenders to return to protests. He pointed to GAI investigations showing coordination across cities such as Portland, Seattle and Chicago involving paid and transported individuals, including homeless people exploited to participate in unrest.
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President Donald Trump designated Antifa a domestic terrorist organization via a September 2025 executive order. (Diego Diaz/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
He pointed to major funding sources, including billionaire George Soros’ Open Society Foundation, the Tides Foundation, and foreign donors such as Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss.
To curb funding for unrest, he said federal authorities could use RICO statutes to target networks and urged the IRS and Office of Management and Budget to review or revoke tax-exempt status for nonprofits misusing charitable funds.
If those agencies find that funding supports criminal activity, Bruner said, they could force organizations to open their books and justify their grants.
TRUMP TO DESIGNATE ANTIFA A ‘MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION’
Members of the Communist Party USA and other anti-fascist groups burn an American flag on the steps of the Colorado State Capitol on January 20, 2021, in Denver, Colorado (Michael Ciaglo/Getty Image)
“They can absolutely cancel any future grants if they deem that the charitable purposes are less than charitable,” he said, pointing out that over $100 million in taxpayer funds have flowed through major networks linked to protest activities.
The roundtable followed Trump’s order to deploy National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, part of the administration’s broader effort to curb crime and illegal immigration — a move temporarily blocked by a federal judge Sunday.
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Antifa is a far-left militant movement that describes itself as antifascist. It has been accused of organizing or encouraging violent riots, notably during the 2020 “defund the police” protests and, more recently, in attacks targeting federal immigration facilities.
Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.
