US President Donald Trump called Wednesday for billionaire George Soros and his son to face criminal charges over unfounded claims that the family, a favorite target of the right, is behind “violent protests” around the country.
Trump did not specify what prompted his morning outburst, but it comes as his administration pursues multiple criminal investigations against his perceived enemies.
“George Soros, and his wonderful Radical Left son, should be charged with RICO because of their support of Violent Protests, and much more,” the president wrote on his Truth Social platform, referring to a law against taking part in a criminal organization.
Long-standing conspiracy theories involving the Soros family swirled again in June, as street protests broke out in Los Angeles against a ramp up of immigration raids.
Trump used the demonstrations as justification to deploy the National Guard and Marines into the Democratic-run city.
Fact-checkers including AFP debunked several images which circulated online at the time, purporting to show that nonprofit groups backed by the Soros family had strategically placed bricks to hurl at police.
Hungarian-born Soros, 95, has long been a bogeyman for the far right in Europe and the United States for his financial support of progressive causes and the Democratic Party.
He has been baselessly blamed for propagating migrant crises in Europe and on the southern border of the United States, as well as for orchestrating mass protests, including those against police brutality after the 2020 killing of George Floyd.
The years-long campaign against Soros, who is Jewish, is often accused of being motivated by antisemitism.
“Soros, and his group of psychopaths, have caused great damage to our Country! That includes his Crazy, West Coast friends,” Trump wrote Wednesday on Truth Social.
“We’re not going to allow these lunatics to rip apart America any more,” he added, warning: “Be careful, we’re watching you!”
Trump previously accused Soros of being behind his 2024 conviction for covering up hush money payments to a porn star, alleging that the financier controlled the public prosecutor who brought the charges.
Soros announced in 2023 that he would hand over control of his philanthropic empire, the Open Society Foundations, to his son Alex.
In the 2024 election, Alex Soros was a vocal supporter of Trump’s Democratic opponent, vice president Kamala Harris.
Shortly before Joe Biden left office in January, he awarded the elder Soros a presidential Medal of Freedom, citing his support for “projects across the world that strengthen democracy, human rights, education and social justice.”
