The United States has called an international summit for 15 July to confront what Secretary of State Marco Rubio describes as a “resurgence of transnational political terrorism and violent extreme-left networks.” Invitations were sent to more than 60 governments across the Americas, Europe and Asia, according to the Washington Post. The gathering, organised by White House counterterrorism adviser Sebastian Gorka, follows an executive order in which President Donald Trump designated “antifa” a domestic terrorist organisation. The administration has not published a full list of participants, but officials confirmed that Mexico and Brazil were invited with particular emphasis, given their political weight and left-leaning governments.

Viewed from Washington, the summit serves a dual purpose. Domestically, Trump has escalated warnings of a “communist” threat, telling supporters that a small group of politicians is “taking over” the Democratic Party and comparing the danger to both world wars and the 9/11 attacks. The rhetoric coincides with a primary season in which sitting Democrats in New York and Colorado have been defeated by candidates aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), whose platform of universal healthcare and reduced inequality is likened by European analysts to mainstream social democracy. With Trump’s approval rating hovering around 40 percent and midterm elections set for 3 November, Tufts University political scientist Daniel Drezner told AFP that painting the opposition as “even more extreme” is a strategic response to independent voters who view the president’s own party as too radical.

In European capitals, the invitation has been met with deep reserve. Several governments, according to diplomats cited by the Washington Post, plan to send only low-level diplomatic representation, arguing that no EU member state considers extreme-left terrorism a significant threat. Some officials described the initiative as a “new McCarthyism” and expressed concern about being instrumentalised in a domestic American political campaign. Italy initially declined to attend, then reversed course after Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni intervened, deciding to dispatch Interior Undersecretary Nicola Molteni of the right-wing League party. Opposition figures in Rome accused Meloni of subservience to Trump and of lending credibility to an “ideological witch hunt.” The organiser, Gorka, has past links to far-right and neo-Nazi circles in the United States, a detail that has sharpened criticism in European media.

For Mexico and Brazil, the summit poses a distinct dilemma. The Trump administration has for months pressed to designate Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organisations and has publicly alleged links between cartels and Mexican political figures. Mexico’s government has not issued a public position on the summit, even after Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco discussed fentanyl, migration and trade with Rubio on 9 June. Brazilian officials have likewise remained silent. Analysts in Latin America note that any participation risks legitimising a framework that could later be used to pressure left-leaning governments in the region, including Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua. The summit is expected to proceed as scheduled, but the level of attendance and the degree of consensus it can project remain uncertain.