NSPM-7

National Security Presidential Memorandum-7 (NSPM-7), titled "Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence",^[1] is an American National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM) issued by President Donald Trump on September 25, 2025.^[2][3][4]

The memorandum was subsequently cited in a September 29, 2025, memorandum by the United States Attorney General Pam Bondi titled "Ending Political Violence Against ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement]".^[5]

Content

The memorandum cites concerns over political violence stemming from "sophisticated, organized campaigns of targeted intimidation, radicalization, threats, and violence designed to silence opposing speech, limit political activity, change or direct policy outcomes, and prevent the functioning of a democratic society", making specific references to the two assassination attempts against Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign, attacks against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers during 2025 protests in Los Angeles and Portland, "anti-police and 'criminal justice'" riots that "have left many people dead and injured and inflicted over $2 billion in property damage nationwide", and the assassination of Charlie Kirk.^[1]

It argues that "anti-fascism" was a recurring motivation and indicator of these "violent and terroristic" incidents (citing a prior executive order to designate "Antifa" as a "domestic terrorist" organization), and accused anti-fascist movements of "portray[ing] foundational American principles (e.g. support for law enforcement and border control) as 'fascist' to justify and encourage acts of violent revolution.", including indicators such as anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, anti-Christianity; support for the overthrowing of the federal government; "extremism on migration, race, and gender"; and "hostility towards those who hold traditional American views on family, religion, and morality".^[1][6]

NSPM-7 instructs the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) to "coordinate and supervise a comprehensive national strategy to investigate, prosecute, and disrupt entities and individuals engaged in acts of political violence and intimidation designed to suppress lawful political activity or obstruct the rule of law", and investigate "all participants in these criminal and terroristic conspiracies—including the organized structures, networks, entities, organizations, funding sources, and predicate actions behind them".^[1][6]

It instructs the United States Attorney General to prosecute federal crimes related to these investigations, and to "issue specific guidance that ensures domestic terrorism priorities include politically motivated terrorist acts" such as assault, civil disorder, destruction of property, organized doxing, looting, rioting, swatting, threats of violence, and tresspass. The Attorney General may also "recommend that any group or entity whose members are engaged in activities meeting the definition of 'domestic terrorism' in 18 U.S.C. 2331(5) merits designation as a 'domestic terrorist organization.'" The Treasury Secretary and Commissioner of Internal Revenue are instructed to disrupt the funding of organizations found to be involved in "financing political violence or domestic terrorism."^[1][6]

Reactions

The Brennan Center for Justice found numerous flaws in an analysis of NSPM-7 along with a concomitant presidential order: "Designating Antifa as a Domestic Terrorist Organization".^[7] The Brennan report concluded "both the order and the memo are ungrounded in fact and law."^[8] Among the criticisms:

• Regarding the legal basis, the Brennan report calls out "the failure to cite any statute or constitutional provision in support of the president’s action." The report authors state the president has no authority to declare domestic terrorist organizations, noting that the laws and Supreme Court decisions authorizing declaration of foreign terrorist organizations had ruled out domestic designations.^[8]
• Regarding the factual basis, the Brennan report notes that the "cherry-picked" incidents of violence were not coordinated campaigns of violence and intimidation, as the NSPM memo was constructed to address.^[8]
• Regarding the scope of the orders, the Brennan Center report says that the orders could target a broad range of disfavored groups and views, encompassing "everyone from labor organizers, socialists, many libertarians, those who criticize Christianity, pro-immigration groups, anti-ICE protestors, and racial justice and transgender activists, to anyone who holds views that the administration considers to be 'anti-American.'"^[8]

On September 25, 2025, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) issued a statement condemning the directive, with ACLU's National Security Project director writing "Working from a fever dream of conspiracies, President Trump has launched yet another effort to investigate and intimidate his critics."^[9]

On September 26, 2025, Human Rights Watch acting executive director Federico Borello issued a statement writing that "President Trump’s order mobilizing federal law enforcement to investigate perceived opponents of his administration turns reality on its head".^[10] On the same day, the National Coalition Against Censorship characterized the directive as a "blueprint for law enforcement to cast a wide net in the name of terrorism and political violence, but it is unmistakable in targeting political opponents in its crosshairs".^[11]

American journalist Ken Klippenstein reported on the memorandum, characterizing the directive as treating political dissent as a form of domestic terrorism.^[12]

In a newsletter, Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna described the memorandum as "one of his [Trump's] most dangerous power grabs yet".^[13] Elsewhere Khanna stated "The goal is to silence people and groups by threatening retaliation."^[6]

An open letter signed by over 3,000 NGOs opposed the directive.^[14]

On October 1, 2025, Miles Taylor, who served as Chief of Staff of the United States Department of Homeland Security during the first Trump Administration, wrote on his Substack that the directive was "Orwellian beyond belief".^[15]

Over 31 members of the Congress wrote a letter raising concerns on constitution and civil liberties expressing that NSPM-7 could be used for crackdown on dissent.^[16][17]

National security journalist Fred Kaplan wrote that Trump is "laying the groundwork for a police state" with NSPM-7, "[T]he clearest statement of Trump's intentions."^[18]