Director of Counterterrorism: Trump Critics are Domestic Terrorists

Sebastian Gorka argues all opposed to Trump’s Führerprinzip are extremists.

Sebastian Gorka, a deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism, may soon designate Tucker Carlson, Nick Fuentes, and other “anti-Trump right-wingers” as domestic terrorists, writes Ken Klippenstein.

National Security Presidential Memorandum 7, abbreviated as NSPM-7, a directive signed by Trump, identifies “anti-Christian” and “anti-American” views as indicators of radical left violence. Carlson and Fuentes, however, are not from the left. They are viewed as rightwing. But not according to Gorka. “I’m not sure that Nick Fuentes or Tucker Carlson are conservatives,” he told Alex Marlow, a “Breitbart protégé.”

Carlson and Fuentes distanced themselves from Trump and criticized his illegal and undeclared war against Iran. For Trump, as a malignant narcissist, any criticism, especially by former MAGA stalwarts, is reason enough to designate people exercising the First Amendment as terrorists. “And let’s be real: none of this is actually about extremism,” writes Klippenstein.

It’s about the fact that Carlson, like Fuentes, recently broke with Trump—bitterly—over the Iran War. That’s the real offense. So now they’re being cast as extremist threats. But to avoid alarming conservatives, the administration can’t just say that—it has to first strip them of their conservative credentials, redefine them as something foreign-affiliated and dangerous, and then go after them.

It is folly to believe Trump’s “retribution” and “revenge” campaign is confined to a fictional Antifa organization and “right-wing extremist” podcasters. He specifically targeted law firms and lawyers representing individuals or causes unpopular with the president. Furthermore, Trump demanded federal oversight of higher education curricula. He also pursued activists, legal immigrants, tourists, and students with visas who voiced criticism of his policies or engaged in pro-Palestinian advocacy.

Trump routinely takes to his Truth Social to denounce and defame his critics. During the “No Kings” protests last October against his authoritarian rule, the president posted an AI video of himself, wearing a crown of jewels, flying a fighter jet, and dropping fecal matter on Americans exercising their First Amendment right. In September, he directed his then-attorney general, Pam Bondi, to prosecute his political enemies.

Stephen Miller, Trump’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, was instructed to crack down on liberal non-profits and groups opposed to his agenda. The president ordered the National Joint Terrorism Task Force to concentrate on groups and individuals promoting “anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, and anti-Christianity” viewpoints. He also cut funding to so-called blue states.

“Trump is now moving aggressively to expand his authority under the banner of combating domestic terrorism. In September 2025, he issued two orders committing the government to using its domestic terrorism authority to criminalize and investigate groups adhering to a broad range of ideologies,” notes the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law.

In addition to turning the entire fearsome machinery of the federal law enforcement and homeland security apparatus on civil society organizations, loose affiliations of activists, and donors to progressive causes, this effort will have substantial consequences for people who are tarred as domestic terrorism suspects, regardless of any investigation’s ultimate outcome. They will be placed on federal watchlists and likely face invasive questioning and even searches every time they travel.

The tactics employed by Trump bear striking resemblance to those employed by authoritarian regimes. They frequently intimidate and penalize individuals who oppose their rule, resorting to harassment, imprisonment, or even violence against dissenters (Renee Good and Alex Pretti, murdered by ICE during protests). To discredit opponents and discourage others from expressing dissent, they may face legal challenges, including fabricated charges. The suppression of dissent and control of information lead to a substantial decline in civil liberties, particularly freedom of speech and assembly.

Similar to Hitler and the Nazis, Trump refers to his enemies as subhuman. During speeches, he has railed against an “enemy within” and described opponents as “vermin,” “Communists, Marxists, fascists, radical left thugs” and “low-IQ people.” Now he has added MAGA defectors and critics to the ever-growing list of enemies.

Hitler’s governing idea, writes Terrence Petty, was the concept of Führerprinzip, the absolute leadership and authority of a single leader.

A century later, the Führerprinzip is no longer lurking in the shadows. In Donald Trump’s second term, echoes of the doctrine are surfacing in policy, purges and propaganda, transforming American governance from a constitutional system into a vehicle for personal power.