President Donald Trump is intensifying his threats against what he labels the ‘radical left’ in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, raising alarm that he may be leveraging the tragedy to stifle political dissent.
Without establishing any connection to last week’s shooting, President Trump and senior officials in his administration have floated measures to label certain groups as domestic terrorists, launch racketeering probes, and strip progressive nonprofits of their tax-exempt status. The White House singled out Indivisible, a progressive activist network, and the Open Society Foundations, founded by George Soros, as potential targets for scrutiny.
While administration officials insist their priority is preventing violence, critics argue these actions reflect an ongoing campaign by Trump to retaliate against political opponents and erode free speech protections. Any effort to target liberal organizations could also reshape the political landscape ahead of next year’s midterm elections, which will decide control of Congress and state governments nationwide.
“The radical left has done tremendous damage to the country,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday morning when leaving for a state visit to the United Kingdom. “But we’re fixing it.”
Trump has at times issued similar threats without acting on them. Yet in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination—a conservative activist, outspoken Trump supporter, and close ally of several of his advisers—those warnings are now attracting renewed attention and heightened concern.
More than 100 nonprofit leaders, representing organizations such as the Ford Foundation, the Omidyar Network, and the MacArthur Foundation, issued a joint letter declaring, "We reject attempts to exploit political violence to mischaracterize our work or undermine our fundamental freedoms."
“Attempts to silence speech, criminalize opposing viewpoints, and misrepresent and limit charitable giving undermine our democracy and harm all Americans,” they wrote.
White House blames ‘terrorist networks’
Authorities stated they believe the suspect in Charlie Kirk’s assassination acted alone, and on Tuesday, he was formally charged with murder.
Yet administration officials have repeatedly issued sweeping statements calling for broader investigations and harsher consequences in response to Kirk’s death.
Attorney General Pam Bondi attributed the shooting to "left-wing radicals," asserting that "they will be held accountable." Meanwhile, top policy adviser Stephen Miller described it as the result of an "organized campaign that led to this assassination."
Miller’s remarks were made during a discussion with Vice President JD Vance, who was guest-hosting Kirk’s talk show from his ceremonial White House office on Monday.
Miller described feeling "focused, righteous anger," adding that "we are going to channel all of the anger" in efforts to "uproot and dismantle these terrorist networks" using "every resource we have."
Vance blamed “crazies on the far left” for saying the White House would “go after constitutionally protected speech.” Instead, he said, “We’re going to go after the NGO network that foments, facilitates and engages in violence.”
When pressed for examples, the White House cited demonstrations in which police officers and federal agents were injured, as well as the distribution of goggles and face masks during protests over immigration enforcement in Los Angeles.
Reports also indicated that Indivisible offered to reimburse individuals who gathered at Tesla dealerships to protest Elon Musk’s leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency, with some of the vehicles later being vandalized.
Indivisible’s leadership has condemned political violence as "a cancer on democracy," adding that their organization "has been threatened by right-wingers all year."
Nonprofits brace for impact
Trump’s executive actions have unsettled nonprofit organizations with efforts to curtail their activities or freeze federal funding, though more aggressive plans to strip them of tax-exempt status have yet to materialize.
The atmosphere has grown tense, with nonprofits now hiring lawyers and reinforcing security measures for their offices and staff.
“It’s a heightened atmosphere in the wake of political violence, and organizations who fear they might be unjustly targeted in its wake are making sure that they are ready,” said Lisa Gilbert, co-president of the government watchdog group Public Citizen.
Trump has made retaliation against political opponents a central pillar of his comeback campaign, mobilizing the federal government to influence law firms, universities, and other traditionally independent institutions. He has also directed an investigation into ActBlue, the prominent online fundraising platform for liberal causes.
Some nonprofits anticipate that the administration will target high-profile donors such as George Soros, a liberal billionaire long vilified by conservatives, in an effort to send a chilling message through the donor community.
Trump recently called for a racketeering investigation into George Soros, though he did not provide any specific allegations. In response, the Open Society Foundations condemned the violence and Kirk’s assassination, stating that "it is disgraceful to use this tragedy for political ends to dangerously divide Americans and attack the First Amendment."
Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, wrote on social media that “the murder of Charlie Kirk could have united Americans to confront political violence” but “Trump and his anti-democratic radicals look to be readying a campaign to destroy dissent.”
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said “it is disingenuous and false for Democrats to say administration actions are about political speech.” She said the goal is to “target those committing criminal acts and hold them accountable.”
Republicans back Trump’s calls for investigations
Trump’s approach to political violence has been strikingly partisan. He characterized the rioters at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, as "hostages" and "patriots," and pardoned 1,500 of them on his first day back in the Oval Office. He also mocked former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi following an attack on her husband.
In a video message last week condemning Kirk’s killing, Trump cited multiple instances of "radical left political violence" while notably overlooking attacks targeting Democrats.
When questioned on Monday about the summer killing of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman, Trump responded, "I’m not familiar" with the case.
"Trump shrugs off right-wing political violence," wrote Ezra Levin, co-executive director of Indivisible, in a newsletter.
Some conservative commentators have endorsed the idea of a potential crackdown. Laura Loomer, a conspiracy theorist with a long history of inflammatory remarks, urged, "let’s shut the left down," adding that she wants Trump "to be the 'dictator' the left fears he is."
Katie Miller, wife of Stephen Miller and former administration spokeswoman, asked Bondi whether there would be "more law enforcement going after these groups" and "putting cuffs on people."
“We will absolutely target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech,” Bondi said. “And that’s across the aisle.”
Her remarks provoked backlash across the political spectrum, as even hate speech is generally protected under the First Amendment. On Tuesday morning, Bondi took a more measured tone on social media, stating that the focus would be on "hate speech that crosses the line into threats of violence."
Trump is gaining increased backing from Republicans in Congress. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, along with other lawmakers, has proposed legislation that would allow the Justice Department to apply racketeering laws—originally designed to combat organized crime—to prosecute violent protesters and the groups that support them.
Representative Chip Roy of Texas is calling on the House to establish a special committee to investigate nonprofit groups, declaring, "We must follow the money to identify the perpetrators of the coordinated anti-American assaults being carried out against us."
