Trump Orders Feds to Target Liberals: Is Domestic Terrorism Real?

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White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller stated that this is the first time in American history there is an “all-of-government effort to dismantle left-wing terrorism.” FBI Director Kash Patel echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the need to follow the money and investigate who funds such groups.

In signing the order, Trump mentioned two major liberal donors: George Soros and Reid Hoffman. He suggested that if these individuals are funding organizations engaged in political violence or intimidation, they would face significant problems.

The executive order directs the National Joint Terrorism Task Force, part of the FBI, to coordinate a comprehensive national strategy to investigate, prosecute, and disrupt entities and individuals involved in acts of political violence and intimidation. It also mandates investigations into institutional and individual funders, as well as officers and employees of organizations aiding such groups. The Treasury Department, Internal Revenue Service, and other federal law enforcement agencies are tasked with participating in these investigations.

Trump previously urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek criminal charges against high-profile critics like former FBI Director James Comey; Senator Adam Schiff from California; and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Trump has lashed out at the left, while law enforcement authorities investigating his killing have noted that the suspect held a “leftist ideology.”

In a unique start to his ruling against President Donald Trump’s administration on September 30, U.S. District Court Judge William Young included a scanned handwritten note sent to his office. The note read: “Trump has pardons and tanks – what do you have?” At the top of Young’s opinion in AAUP v. Rubio, which ruled that Trump’s effort to deport foreign-born student protesters was unconstitutional.

October 8, 2025

Despite these efforts, an analysis by the Cato Institute found that politically-motivated attacks are relatively rare in the United States, with the majority of deaths occurring from 9/11 terrorist attacks. When excluding these incidents, the political right accounted for about 61% of the remaining deaths, followed by 23% from terrorists inspired by Islamist ideology, and 11% from the political left.

The executive order aims to address perceived domestic terrorism from liberal groups while ignoring examples of political violence from the right.