Rubio launches global effort to target left-wing extremistsRubio launches global effort to target left-wing extremists

Source: MS NOW News

Jul. 16, 2026, 5:00 AM EDT


Secretary of State Marco Rubio will host delegations from 65 countries Thursday for a summit on what the Trump administration describes as a resurgence of far-left political terrorism. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller are expected to attend.

“Far-left political terrorism is a real and transnational threat that has existed for decades but is now experiencing a resurgence,” Rubio is expected to say in his opening remarks, according to prepared excerpts obtained by MS NOW. “Left-wing extremists operate across borders, maintaining the capability to train, recruit, establish digital infrastructure, fundraise and strike across different countries. The transnational nature of the threat requires an international response.”

Civil liberties groups in the U.S. say they fear that Rubio’s gathering — informally called the “Antifa summit” — is part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to target protesters they view as left-wing extremists.

Daniel Byman, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies who recently authored a study on political violence from the left and right, said the administration’s focus on violence from the left appeared lopsided. “We have potential violence from a range of sources, and the extreme right is one of them,” Byman said. “And government should be focused on that just as they’re focused on other concerns.”

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