Billionaire Democratic donor George Soros and his son Alex could soon face federal racketeering charges after President Donald Trump called for their prosecution on Wednesday for funding “violent protests” across America.
Trump posted on Truth Social that the 95-year-old Soros and his son, who leads the family’s Open Society Foundations, “should be charged with RICO,” referring to the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act typically used to combat organized crime.
“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,” Trump wrote. “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!”
The president’s threat received immediate support from billionaire ally Elon Musk, who posted that it was “high time action was taken against Soros directly.”
Musk previously blamed Soros for violent protests targeting his Tesla dealerships during his government tenure.
Trump’s accusations center on reports that Soros-backed organizations have contributed more than $20 million to groups funding protests against the Trump administration’s law enforcement crackdown in Washington, D.C. The funding has supported organized resistance to Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops in the district and his plan to federalize the city’s police department.
Free DC, described as a “fiscally sponsored special project” of progressive nonprofits Community Change and Community Change Action, brought 150 demonstrators near the White House on Monday to protest Trump’s crime-fighting initiatives. The group operates under “guiding principles” that include “Do not obey in advance” and “Take up space.”
Free DC has called for resistance to law enforcement officers, urging supporters to “go outside at 8:00 PM and bang pots and pans, sing, chant, or make noise for five minutes” every night “of this occupation.” The organization has scheduled multiple events since Monday’s protest, including “Cop Watch Training.”
An analysis shared with The New York Post reportedly revealed the “dark-money megadonor” connections between Soros, other donors, and the protest organizers. Community Change and Community Change Action, the groups bankrolling Free DC’s activism campaign, have received millions in donations from Soros’ Open Society Foundations, the Tides Foundation, and the Arabella Advisors network.
Between 2020 and 2023, Community Change and Community Change Action received $12.6 million from Open Society Foundation, $5.6 million from the Arabella network, and $1.9 million from the Tides network under grants labeled for “civil rights, social action, advocacy” and “social welfare activities.”
In 2023 alone, the organizations received $4 million from Soros’ Open Society Foundations, $680,000 from the Arabella network, and $145,000 from the Tides Foundation. Additionally, Community Change received $1 million across 2021 and 2022 from Future Forward USA Action, a Democratic Party-aligned super PAC that backed Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.
“It is ironic that a protest to ostensibly ‘Free DC’ was hosted by Community Change, a group funded by massive amounts of outside dark money to push a pro-crime agenda,” said Caitlin Sutherland, executive director of Americans for Public Trust told The Post. “DC is facing shootings, carjackings, and assaults, and yet progressive groups like The Pritzker Foundation, George Soros, and the Arabella Network all spend millions of dollars to manufacture protests that weaken our communities,” Sutherland added.
A spokesperson for Open Society Foundations strongly denied Trump’s accusations, calling them “outrageous and false.”
“The Open Society Foundations do not support or fund violent protests,” the spokesperson said. “Our mission is to advance human rights, justice and democratic principles at home and around the world.”
Trump’s latest attack on Soros is the latest in his long-standing criticism of the billionaire philanthropist. The Soros family was among the largest donors to Kamala Harris’ failed presidential campaign, spending more than $85 million in the 2024 election cycle. During his criminal trial in New York last year, Trump constantly complained that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s election campaign had been backed by Soros.
This is not the first time Trump has accused the Soros network of illegal political interference. In February, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr opened an investigation into a San Francisco radio station backed by Soros that allegedly broadcast live locations of undercover Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conducting deportation operations.
KCBS 740 AM, part of Soros’ stake in more than 200 Audacy radio stations purchased last year, came under fire for revealing the specific make, color, and model of unmarked ICE vehicles and the exact locations of agents working in the San Jose area during a January broadcast.
The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau sent a formal Letter of Inquiry to the radio station, investigating whether it violated the terms of its FCC license requiring operation in the “public interest.” The formal notice noted that ICE agents were operating in an area known for violent gang activity when their locations were broadcast.
“I want to express my thanks and appreciation to DHS and ICE agents. These law enforcement professionals are honorably serving this country and carrying out vital missions. Their safety is paramount. The FCC will hold broadcasters accountable for complying with their public interest obligations,” Carr said at the time.
The radio station controversy stemmed from Soros gaining control of hundreds of U.S. radio stations through a complex business deal after the bankruptcy of Audacy Inc., just weeks before the 2024 presidential election. House Oversight Chair Rep. James Comer and Rep. Nick Langworthy had questioned the FCC’s decision to expedite approval of the deal.
“Despite the unprecedented nature of this action, the FCC majority has apparently decided to approve licenses on an accelerated timeframe for a company in which George Soros has a major ownership stake, and with stations in 40 media markets reaching ‘more than 165 million Americans,'” the Republican lawmakers wrote.
Trump himself previously faced RICO charges from state prosecutors in Georgia over his attempts to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election.
The president’s threat comes as his administration implements aggressive law enforcement measures in Washington, D.C., aimed at making the district the “safest, cleanest and most beautiful cities anywhere in the world” through ramped-up police efforts and removal of homeless encampments from public places.