A Ministerial on the resurgence of political terrorism was held by the United States State Department today (Thursday) to address the threat of far-left attacks, which are on the rise in the United States and Europe.
FULL REMARKS: Secretary Marco Rubio's Remarks at the Ministerial on The Resurgence of Political Terrorism pic.twitter.com/ZpHzM2QpDC
— Department of State (@StateDept) July 16, 2026
According to the State Department, the sharp increase in political violence occured in the last decade, and a uniquely disturbing trend of targeting individuals. Notable instances include the multiple attempts on the life of President Trump, as well as the assassination of conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA Charlie Kirk.
63% of anti-government attacks and plots in the United States in 2025 have been attributed to radical leftists. In Europe, during the same year, 12 of a total of 45 reported terrorist attacks have been attributed to the far-left.
1+To combat this threat, the Trump administration designated Antifa, an organized far-left violent group, as a domestic terrorist organization. Several other European-based Antifa groups have been designated as foreign terrorist organizations. The State Department also announced increased cooperation with foreign partners to restrict travel for far-left terrorists, enhance the sharing of information, and improve law enforcement cooperation.
Hosted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, additional guests and speakers include Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller, and Senior Director for Counterterrorism Dr. Sebastian Gorka.
1+In his speech, Rubio alluded to the high number of left-wing political violence in the 1970s and 1980s: “Far-left political terrorism is not a recent-day, modern novelty. It is not a fiction manufactured by conservative politicians. For most of the modern era, it was in fact, the dominant form of political violence.” During that period, over 90% of terror attacks were attributed to the left.
Rubio concluded: “It is easy to destroy great things. It is far more dificult to make them. The enemies of civilization are only capable of the former. They are only capable of destroying great things, all they know is destruction. But we have built great things together, and we know what we must do, and now we must do it.”