Trump Administration Steps Up Efforts to Track Antifa’s Funding Sources

The Trump administration is stepping up efforts to trace funding for Antifa and other protest movements, continuing what officials describe as a coordinated campaign to expose nonprofit and dark money networks that they say are fueling organized unrest across the country.

President Donald Trump hosted a roundtable discussion at the White House on Wednesday with independent journalists who have faced Antifa violence themselves, as part of his administration’s broader efforts to address domestic unrest.

Among the attendees was Seamus Bruner, research director at the Government Accountability Institute, who said the administration’s “whole-of-government” approach was now in full swing.

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“President Trump takes this very seriously,” Bruner said, noting that the president has stressed the need to follow the money to officials including Attorney General Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and FBI Director Kash Patel.

He argued that unmasking Antifa requires tracing 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-style operation with divisions for field operations, marketing, public relations and legal support.

President Donald Trump speaks during a panel discussion on Antifa at the White House on Wednesday. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo)

Bruner also cited bail fund networks that would allow repeat offenders to return to protest. He pointed to GAI investigations showing coordination between cities like Portland, Seattle and Chicago involving paid and transported individuals, including homeless people exploited to participate in unrest.

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He highlighted major funding sources including billionaire George Soros’ Open Society Foundation, the Tides Foundation and foreign donors such as Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss.

To curb unrest funding, 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 that misuse charitable funds.

If these agencies find that funding supports criminal activity, Bruner said, they could force the organizations to open their books and account for their grants.

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Members of the Communist Party USA and other anti-fascist groups burn an American flag on the steps of the Colorado State Capitol, January 20, 2021, in Denver, Colorado. (Michael Ciaglo/Getty Image)

“They can absolutely cancel any future grants if they believe the charitable purposes are not charitable,” he said, noting that more than $100 million in public funds flowed through major networks linked to protest activities.

The roundtable followed 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.

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Antifa is a far-left activist movement that describes itself as anti-fascist. He has been accused of organizing or encouraging violent riots, including during 2020 protests to “defund the police” and, more recently, in attacks targeting federal immigration centers.

Emma Colton of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.