Trump hosts White House roundtable on Antifa violence with journalists

First on Fox: president Donald Trump She is scheduled to host a roundtable at the White House on Wednesday afternoon to hear from independent journalists who have experienced Antifa violence firsthand, Fox News Digital has learned.

Fox News Digital has learned that Trump will be joined Wednesday afternoon by members of his Cabinet, independent journalists and other administration officials for a “listening session” to discuss the far-left group, which was recently designated as a domestic terrorist organization.

“For a very long time, Antifa “He destroyed great American cities while ineffective Democratic leaders looked the other way — and most of the media went along with them,” White House Press Secretary Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital Wednesday. “Some reporters have been brave enough to forge their own path and report the facts rather than siding with the fake news group.”

The roundtable comes after Trump ordered National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, as part of his administration’s ongoing efforts to remove illegal immigrants and crime from the streets of the United States. However, the order is currently tied up in the courts after a federal judge on Sunday temporarily blocked the administration from deploying troops in Oregon.

A former Antifa activist praises Trump’s decision to designate the group as a domestic terrorist

President Donald Trump designated Antifa a domestic terrorist organization by executive order in September 2025. (Diego Diaz/Sportswire Icon via Getty Images)

Antifa is a far-left militant movement that presents itself as an “anti-fascist” activist group. It has been accused of spreading violence through riots, most notably during the 2020 defunding of the police and Black Lives Matter riots, as well as more recently in Antifa-related attacks on federal immigration officials and facilities as the Trump administration works to deport millions of illegal immigrants from the country.

Trump calls Antifa a “terrorist group” for fueling fights over free speech and the limits of law enforcement

Riots spread across American cities in 2020 after the death of George Floyd while in police custody. (Samuel Corum/AFP/Getty Images)

Wednesday’s roundtable will include Trump delivering remarks to the group before hearing from Cabinet members and independent journalists, Fox News Digital learned ahead of the event.

Cabinet members and administration officials scheduled to speak during the roundtable include Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Secretary of Homeland Security. kristi Noem, FBI Director Kash Patel, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller, and White House Press Secretary Carolyn Leavitt.

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President Donald Trump looks on during a meeting at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations Headquarters on September 23, 2025 in New York City. (Chip Somodevila/Getty Images)

Fox News Digital has learned that freelancers set to join the discussion include Cam Higbee, Jonathan Choi, Andy Ngo, Katie Daviscourt, James Klug, Savannah Hernandez, Nick Shirley, Brandi Cross and Julio Rojas.

For example, the NGO has long covered riots and Antifa activism in Portland, Oregon, and other cities on the West Coast, gaining national notoriety in 2019 when it was attacked by masked individuals during a protest in Portland. He then went on to write a book in 2021 titled Unconvinced: Inside Antifa’s Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy.

“The White House applauds these independent journalists, and we look forward to hearing from those who have seen the facts firsthand and are sharing the truth about violence, crime, and the failure of local Democratic leaders to address the problem,” Jackson added in her commentary on Fox News Digital. “Fake news should listen to her, she could learn a thing or two!”

Chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, and other Republicans support Trump in designating Antifa a terrorist organization

The city of Portland, Oregon, witnessed consecutive nights of riots in 2020, after the death of George Floyd while in police custody that year. (Thomas Patterson/AFP/Getty Images)

Levitt has previously and repeatedly rebuked the media when discussing the far-left group, arguing that mainstream outlets have not accurately reported on Antifa violence.

“This is something that the president has campaigned on because we have seen a rise in violence committed by Antifa, and they are extremist people across this country who belong to this group,” Leavitt said during statements to the media in September. “Unfortunately, it was widely exposed by many in the legacy media. It was also completely ignored by the previous administration. Not anymore.”

Democrats and critics of the Trump administration argued that cities like Portland, Oregon, where Antifa riots previously broke out, were safe and that the administration was conflating terrorism with protests.

Trump designated Antifa a domestic terrorist organization in September through an executive order that criticized the group for “promoting political violence.”

Law enforcement officials and protesters gather outside Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Portland, Oregon, September 28, 2025. (Getty Images)

“Antifa recruits, trains, and radicalizes young Americans to engage in this violence and suppress political activity, then uses sophisticated means and mechanisms to protect the identities of its activists, conceal its funding sources and operations in an effort to thwart law enforcement, and recruit additional members,” the executive order said.

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He added, “Individuals associated with and acting on behalf of the Antifa movement are coordinating more closely with other organizations and entities for the purpose of spreading, inciting, and promoting political violence and suppressing lawful political speech.”