The US government under Donald Trump is putting “the threat from left-wing radicals” at the center of its counterterrorism efforts.Image: AP/AP
May 13, 2026, 4:44 p.mMay 13, 2026, 5:00 p.m
Donald Trump’s “anti-terrorism czar” Sebastian Gorka has published a new strategy paper on the fight against terrorism in the USA. Various representatives of the US government express themselves in it, and President Donald Trump is also quoted directly. Groups are listed that are classified as particularly dangerous for the US population and that threaten people who “want to harm” US citizens:
This martial threat is aimed at three groups: international drug gangs, Islamist terrorists and violent left-wing extremists. The latter in particular receives a lot of attention in the report. For example, it says:
“As part of our national counterterrorism response, we will prioritize the rapid identification and elimination of violent secular political groups whose ideology is anti-American, radically pro-transgender and anarchist.”
This refers to “violent left-wing extremists who represent radical ideologies”. This violence is directed against Christians and conservatives, with the murder of Charlie Kirk being cited as an example. This act was committed by a “radical” who “represented extreme transgender ideologies,” the strategy paper continues.
Donald Trump with Erika Kirk, the widow of the murdered Charlie Kirk.Image: keystone
There is no reference to such an ideology in the official indictment from the Utah Attorney General’s Office, and the verdict is still pending.
Report receives criticism
The verdict on the paper among experts and analysts is devastating. “Mostly nonsense”, “completely absurd” and an “exercise in manipulation, partiality and subservience”, quotes the Guardian some of her statements on social media.
As the New York Times writesthe persecution of left-wing extremist elements described in the paper even extends beyond the borders of the USA. The US government is putting pressure on partner states to also take action.
The newspaper also quotes several former government officials who expressed concern that US authorities could expand domestic surveillance of citizens. The accusation is also made that the US government is using law enforcement to eliminate political opponents.
Trump accuses Biden government of political persecution
This is contradicted in the anti-terrorism report: “Our powers to combat terrorism are not used to take action against our fellow citizens who simply hold a different opinion than we do.”
The Trump administration even turns the tables in the report and accuses the Biden administration of such an approach:
“Individuals at the highest levels of the U.S. government used their broad powers to politically target individuals in the interests of those they favored, sought to keep in power, or helped win elections.”
However, the report is silent about exactly when and how this happened. (leo)