Donald Trump Blames US Unrest On Anti-Fascist Group Antifa, Labels Group A Terrorist Organization

Donald Trump revealed on Sunday his plan to designate anti-fascist group Antifa a terrorist organization. In a series of tweets, he blamed on Antifa the riots during the recent police brutality protests across America.

“The United States of America will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Organization,” he wrote. “As long as everybody understands what they are doing, that they are FAKE NEWS and truly bad people with a sick agenda, we can easily work through them to GREATNESS!” he added.

Since May 28, at least 1,400 people have been arrested across the country amid protests over the death of George Floyd, the black American who died while under police custody in Minneapolis on May 25. A video footage of his death showed that Floyd fell unconscious as police officer Derrick Chauvin pressed his knee against his neck during his arrest. However, an autopsy of his remains showed he died a natural death and not of strangulation.

Despite Chauvin’s arrest, thousands of Americans have taken to the streets to protest police brutality in the country. More than half of the protesters arrested since May 28 came from Los Angeles.

On Twitter, Donald Trump also accused the media of sparking public outrage, saying news outlets are “doing everything within their power to foment hatred and anarchy” across the United States. He also praised the National Guard for doing a “great job” in quelling the unrest.

“Other Democrat-run Cities and States should look at the total shutdown of Radical Left Anarchists in Minneapolis last night,” he wrote. “The National Guard did a great job, and should be used in other States before it is too late!” he added, saying the Mayor should have stopped the violence on the first night.

Meanwhile, U.S. officials have given opposing explanations for who is responsible for the riots. While Trump blamed the riots on the far-left group Antifa, other officials have suggested the involvement of outside groups and individuals.

On Saturday, Minnesota’s Democratic Governor Tim Walz said foreign influences, drug cartels, and white supremacists were behind the riots.