NEWNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
Trump administration steps up efforts to track funding Antifa and other protest movements pursuing what officials say is a coordinated campaign to expose the nonprofit and dark money networks they say are fueling organized unrest across the country.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday held a roundtable at the White House with independent journalists who have experienced Antifa violence first-hand, part of his administration's broader efforts to counter domestic unrest.
Among those present was Seamus Bruner, research director at the Government Accountability Institute, who said the administration's “whole of government” approach is now fully realized.
“President Trump takes this very seriously,” Bruner said, noting that the president has stressed the need for officials, including the attorney general, to follow the money. Pam BondiSecretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and FBI Director Kash Patel.
TRUMP CALLS ANTIFA A 'TERRORIST GROUP', FIGHTING FOR FREE SPEECH AND LIMITED LAW ENFORCEMENT
President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable on Antifa at the White House on Wednesday. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo)
He argued that to expose Antifa, it was necessary to trace its finances.
“It’s not just Antifa, but there’s a whole ecosystem of radical professional protest organizations,” he said, describing what he calls “Riot Inc.” as a corporate division with field loading, marketing, PR and legal support divisions.
Bruner also referred to networks of bail funds that supposedly allow repeat offenders to return to protest. He pointed to traffic police investigations demonstrates coordination in cities such as Portland, Seattle and Chicago involving paid and transported individuals, including homeless people, who are exploited to participate in riots.
NOEM WILL COMPARE ANTIFA WITH ISIS, OTHER TERRORIST GROUPS WHO WANT TO “KILL” AMERICANS
President Donald Trump designated Antifa a domestic terrorist organization in a September 2025 executive order. (Diego Diaz/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
He pointed to major sources of funding, including billionaires. George SorosThe Open Society Foundation, the Tides Foundation and foreign donors such as Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss.
According to him, to limit funding for unrest, federal authorities can use RICO Statute attack the networks and called on the IRS and the Office of Management and Budget to review or revoke the tax-exempt status of nonprofits that abuse charitable funds.
If those agencies find that funding supports criminal activity, Bruner said, they can force the organizations to open their books and justify their grants.
TRUMP CALLS 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 Siaglo/Getty Image)
“They can absolutely cancel any future grants if they feel that the charitable purposes are not charitable,” he said, noting that more than $100 million of taxpayer funds have flowed through large networks associated with protest activity.
Roundtable follows Trump's order to deploy National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, as part of the administration's broader efforts to combat crime and illegal immigration – a move temporarily blocked by a federal judge on Sunday.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Antifa is a far-left militant movement that calls itself anti-fascist. He has been accused of organizing or encouraging violent riots, most notably during the “defund the police” protests in 2020, and more recently of attacks on federal immigration facilities.
Fox News Digital's Emma Colton contributed to this report.
