The US government maintains lists of designated terrorist organizations, but President Trump has begun creating secret lists of domestic terrorist groups without disclosing their contents to Congress or the public. These lists are reportedly made up of dozens of groups, but only two have been publicly known.
Trump has ordered his administration to compile a list of domestic terrorist organizations, despite the fact that there is no legal mechanism for labeling exclusively domestic organizations as terrorist groups. The president's National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM-7) directs government agencies to target "anti-fascism ... movements" and "domestic terrorist organizations."
However, experts say that these definitions are vague and could include legitimate political views or activism. "By claiming this authority and by defining a wide range of political views—from anti-Christianity to anti-Americanism—as markers of domestic terrorism, the president has essentially created an enemies list and directed federal agencies to go after them," said Faiza Patel, senior director of the Brennan Center's Liberty and National Security Program.
Lawmakers are concerned that Trump's secret lists could be used to target opposition to his policies or ideologies. "You can easily see a world where the president of the United States labels protest groups 'terrorists,' doesn't tell anyone, and creates an excuse to unilaterally use the military inside our cities," said Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.).
Experts warn that Trump's actions could set a dangerous precedent for authoritarianism in the US. "Designating drug cartels as terrorist organizations for purposes of criminal or financial sanctions laws does not change the lack of legal authority for military force," said Sarah Harrison, former associate general counsel at the Pentagon.
Trump has also threatened to use the Insurrection Act to deploy the US military into American cities, which could lead to a constitutional crisis. "The president is looking for an excuse to send in the U.S. military into our streets—to deploy the U.S. military against his own people," said Slotkin.
The Intercept has faced challenges from Trump's administration, including attempts to banish news outlets that challenge him and investigations of journalists who have written critically about him. "We can't let ourselves be intimidated in our pursuit of human rights and the civil liberties guaranteed by the Constitution," said Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU National Security Project.
The situation is a stark reminder that Trump's authoritarian tendencies are not just hypothetical but real. As Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) put it, "He is going after those who disagree with him or fight back against his corruption and authoritarianism and trying to classify opposition to his views as 'domestic terrorism.'"
Trump has ordered his administration to compile a list of domestic terrorist organizations, despite the fact that there is no legal mechanism for labeling exclusively domestic organizations as terrorist groups. The president's National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM-7) directs government agencies to target "anti-fascism ... movements" and "domestic terrorist organizations."
However, experts say that these definitions are vague and could include legitimate political views or activism. "By claiming this authority and by defining a wide range of political views—from anti-Christianity to anti-Americanism—as markers of domestic terrorism, the president has essentially created an enemies list and directed federal agencies to go after them," said Faiza Patel, senior director of the Brennan Center's Liberty and National Security Program.
Lawmakers are concerned that Trump's secret lists could be used to target opposition to his policies or ideologies. "You can easily see a world where the president of the United States labels protest groups 'terrorists,' doesn't tell anyone, and creates an excuse to unilaterally use the military inside our cities," said Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.).
Experts warn that Trump's actions could set a dangerous precedent for authoritarianism in the US. "Designating drug cartels as terrorist organizations for purposes of criminal or financial sanctions laws does not change the lack of legal authority for military force," said Sarah Harrison, former associate general counsel at the Pentagon.
Trump has also threatened to use the Insurrection Act to deploy the US military into American cities, which could lead to a constitutional crisis. "The president is looking for an excuse to send in the U.S. military into our streets—to deploy the U.S. military against his own people," said Slotkin.
The Intercept has faced challenges from Trump's administration, including attempts to banish news outlets that challenge him and investigations of journalists who have written critically about him. "We can't let ourselves be intimidated in our pursuit of human rights and the civil liberties guaranteed by the Constitution," said Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU National Security Project.
The situation is a stark reminder that Trump's authoritarian tendencies are not just hypothetical but real. As Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) put it, "He is going after those who disagree with him or fight back against his corruption and authoritarianism and trying to classify opposition to his views as 'domestic terrorism.'"
the number of domestic terrorist groups on Trump's secret list is estimated to be in the dozens, but only 2 have been publicly known 
. And get this - he's using vague definitions that could include legit political views or activism, which basically means creating an enemies list and targeting opposition to his policies 
. I mean, experts are saying this is a clear threat to civil liberties and our constitution 
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. This means that Trump's definition of domestic terrorism is already pretty broad, and adding his secret list could lead to a whole new level of surveillance and repression.
. Let's keep pushing back against these secret lists and demanding transparency from our government 
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this is super concerning, like trump is basically making up his own rules here. I mean, what's next? He's gonna start labeling environmental activists as terrorists too? 
it seems like he's just trying to silence anyone who disagrees with him and pin them down for being 'domestic terrorism'... meanwhile, where are the sources on these secret lists?! 
have we seen any official documents or evidence of what's really going on here? 
this is a big deal 
it's not just about labeling certain groups as terrorists, it's about creating an excuse for the military to be used against citizens in times of protest or dissent 
and let's not forget that faiza patel said it best - these definitions are VAGUE 
what's next is gonna be "anti-government" or "anti-establishment" being terrorist 
Trump's secret lists of domestic terrorist groups are straight up worrying 
It's like, what's next? Labeling protesters as terrorists just for disagreeing with his views? That's just not right 
. And experts are saying that these definitions are super vague and could include legit activism or political views 
and now experts are saying that this could be a way for trump to basically create an enemies list and use the military to silence people who disagree with him? 
it's not just about opposition to his policies, it's about silencing dissent altogether. we need to be vigilant here and make sure our government doesn't turn into some kinda surveillance state 
what constitutes "anti-fascism" or "domestic terrorist organization"? how can we trust that he won't just use this as a pretext to crack down on anyone who dares to speak out against him? 
. Like, what even is the definition of "domestic terrorism" here? 
and stifle free speech 
It's like, what's the line between "anti-fascism" and "terrorism"? 
That's not how it works in a democracy, folks! 
. We need to be careful not to cross the line into authoritarianism 
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We deserve transparency and accountability from our leaders! 
. Like, what's up with creating secret lists of domestic terrorist groups without telling anyone? It's not even clear who gets added to these lists or how they're decided. And now he wants to use the Insurrection Act to send in troops if people protest? That's a major red flag 
Trump's secret domestic terrorist list is a clear threat to our civil liberties. He's basically giving himself carte blanche to label anyone he doesn't like as "terrorists". This is a slippery slope that could lead to chaos and authoritarianism in the US.