The Trump administration is facing backlash after a new White House counterterrorism directive explicitly named “radically pro-transgender” groups among the domestic ideologies federal agencies should monitor.

The memo, which also references anarchist and anti-fascist movements, frames trans activism as a potential national security threat while making no mention of far-right extremism or white nationalist organisations.

The directive references left-wing violence and cites the 2025 killing of Charlie Kirk, carried out by Tyler Robinson, a person who prosecutors allege had recently begun dating a trans woman and criticising Kirk’s rhetoric online.

White House counterterrorism official Sebastian Gorka also pointed to school shootings involving alleged transgender perpetrators as justification for heightened scrutiny of trans-related activism, according to The Washington Times, despite no evidence that those individuals were connected to organised political groups.

Critics argue the policy dangerously conflates transgender identity and advocacy with extremism at a time when trans Americans already face disproportionately high levels of violence and harassment.

Data reviewed by the Gun Violence Archive and findings from researchers consistently show that transgender people make up an extremely small fraction of mass shooters in the United States, while the overwhelming majority of perpetrators are cisgender men.

The 16-page strategy memo directs intelligence agencies to focus on groups deemed “anti-American, radically pro-transgender, and anarchist,” while also emphasising efforts against international threats like cartels and extremist organisations abroad. Notably absent, however, is any discussion of domestic right-wing extremist movements.