Donald Trump’s New Memo Could Let Feds Target Activists as “Terrorists” [Video]

On September 25, 2025, Donald Trump issued National Security Presidential Memorandum 7, titled “Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence.” Days ago, he signed the memorandum.

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The ACLU warns that this directive threatens to chill free speech and intimidate nonprofit groups, activists, and donors. Hina Shamsi, Director of the ACLU National Security Project, calls it “a deliberate attempt to sow fear and intimidate and silence opposition to the president’s abuses.” She adds, “For all of us seeking to uphold the Constitution, fundamental human rights, and civil liberties, it’s almost a badge of courage and honor.”

The memo does not create new legal powers. “When the president refers in the memo to ‘designation’ of groups as ‘domestic terrorism organizations,’ that rhetorical label is dangerously stigmatizing and harsh, but it does not in itself have legal force,” Shamsi explains. There is no legal framework for labeling domestic groups this way, and doing so would threaten First Amendment rights. “There is also no standalone crime of ‘domestic terrorism.’”

NSPM-7 directs federal law enforcement and Joint Terrorism Task Forces to investigate civil society groups under vague definitions that include “anti-capitalism,” “anti-Christianity,” and “opposition to traditional American views.” The ACLU argues this invites abuse and mirrors past government overreach, such as COINTELPRO.

“The president cannot rewrite the Constitution by memo or otherwise,” Shamsi states. Rights under the First, Fourth, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments remain intact. The ACLU urges communities to stay informed, assert their rights, and push back against efforts to silence dissent and weaken civil society.