Trump Calls for Soros and Son to Be Charged for Racketeering: 'Not Going to Allow These Lunatics to Rip Apart America'

President Trump on Wednesday called for federal prosecutors to charge billionaire philanthropist George Soros and one of his sons under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).

In a post on Truth Social, the president wrote:

"George Soros, and his wonderful Radical Left son, should be charged with RICO because of their support of Violent Protests, and much more, all throughout the United States of America. We're not going to allow these lunatics to rip apart America any more, never giving it so much as a chance to 'BREATHE,' and be FREE. Soros, and his group of psychopaths, have caused great damage to our Country! That includes his Crazy, West Coast friends. Be careful, we're watching you!"

While Trump did not specify which son he was referring to, it is likely he was talking about Alex Soros, who took control of the Open Society Foundations (OSF) in 2023 and has long been a target of conservative criticism for his ties with progressive movements across the United States.

The New York Post published on August 12 that the OSF and allied groups directed millions of dollars to organizations supporting protests against Trump's moves to expand federal control over policing in Washington, D.C. The report is based on a watchdog group called Americans for Public Trust said Community Change and Community Change Action which claims that major organizers of recent protests received more than $12 million from OSF between 2020 and 2023.

The RICO Act, introduced in 1970, has historically been used to prosecute organized crime by linking otherwise unrelated offenses into a broader criminal enterprise. Trump argued that the financial support funneled to protest groups qualifies under the statute.

The clash between Trump and Alex Soros has intensified since the latter took over OSF from his father, who founded the network in the 1980s with the stated goal of advancing democracy and human rights. In an interview with the Financial Times published a couple of weeks into the current Trump presidency, Alex Soros acknowledged that "Trump represents everything we don't believe in," adding that OSF's work in the U.S. now focuses more on civil rights and political inequality.

Soros, however, rejected claims of conspiracy, telling the Financial Times:

"There's this toxification of us, which I think is not real, meaning I think you can push back. Everyone says we're part of some global conspiracy, and I'm just like, 'We're not.' I wish we were as effective as some people say"