The NSPM-7 Trump memo, a presidential national security directive issued without a vote in Congress, has become the policy base for the administration’s campaign against what the White House calls “radical left terrorism,” according to University of Pittsburgh international affairs professor Melinda Haas.
The campaign moved further into foreign policy on July 16, 2026, when Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted the Ministerial on the Resurgence of Political Terrorism in Washington. Al Jazeera reported that representatives from more than 65 countries attended the meeting, which officials and observers informally called the “Antifa summit.”
Rubio said antifa-aligned networks share cross-border infrastructure and alleged that Iran and Cuba have helped fund the movement. The State Department transcript of his remarks did not provide evidence for those claims. The White House described the meeting as the launch of an “unprecedented global offensive” against left-wing political violence.
What is NSPM-7?
National Security Presidential Memorandum/NSPM-7, issued Sept. 25, 2025, directs federal agencies to counter domestic terrorism and organized political violence. Haas writes that the memorandum departs from earlier counterterrorism practice by treating certain political or ideological views, including “anti-Christian,” “anti-capitalism” and “anti-American” views, as possible warning signs of domestic terrorism.
A presidential memorandum is an executive action, not a statute. It can instruct agencies to carry out policy, prepare reports or align enforcement priorities with the president’s agenda. Unlike executive orders, such memoranda do not have to be published, and national security directives can remain classified for long periods, according to congressional and legal materials cited by Haas.
NSPM-7 does not itself create a new crime. It tells agencies where to aim investigative power. Haas says that distinction matters because U.S. law has no formal category for designating domestic organizations as terrorist groups, while the State Department can designate foreign terrorist organizations for sanctions.
How the memo is being used
The Justice Department has organized task forces with counterterrorism prosecutors, and the FBI has created an NSPM-7 mission center focused on investigations of left-wing movements, according to reporting cited by Haas. She also cites a joint FBI and IRS effort involving nonprofit groups.
Former Attorney General Pam Bondi’s December 2025 implementation memo ordered a five-year review of agency files related to antifa, according to Lawfare. NSPM-7 also directs the Justice Department to focus FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force resources on recruiting, radicalization, political violence, terrorism, conspiracy against rights and violent deprivation of rights.
Federal prosecutors have already used terrorism-related frameworks in protest cases. In Texas, the Justice Department said eight defendants connected to a “North Texas Antifa Cell” were sentenced in June 2026 over a 2025 armed confrontation at the Prairieland immigration detention center. One defendant received a 100-year sentence, and The Intercept reported that others who did not fire weapons received decades in prison under terrorism sentencing guidelines.
In Minnesota, the Justice Department announced June 2026 indictments against 15 members and associates of Direct Action Minnesota on conspiracy and assault charges. The New York Times reported that a 94-page indictment cited evidence including an “I’m Antifa!” sweatshirt, a bullhorn and a devil emoji in a Signal message.
Why civil liberties groups are worried
Thirty-one members of Congress wrote to President Donald Trump in October 2025 warning that NSPM-7 raised “serious constitutional, statutory and civil liberties risks,” especially if used against protest, dissent or ideological speech.
The ACLU has warned that terrorism definitions tied to ideology can punish people for beliefs rather than violence or criminal conduct. Haas notes that the First Amendment protects unpopular opinions and association for political, religious, economic and cultural aims.
Haas also points to a mismatch between the memo’s focus and violence data. She cites Center for Strategic and International Studies research showing left-wing violence has increased over the past decade but remains below historical levels of right-wing or jihadist violence. The result is a national security apparatus aimed heavily at one side of the political spectrum, with Congress still having declined to create a domestic terrorist organization designation.
This story draws on original reporting from Techdirt.
