Independent journalist and Discovery Institute Senior Fellow Jonathan Choe joined The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI Friday to discuss his recent visit to the White House, where he and other reporters briefed President Donald Trump on Antifa’s activities and influence across the country.
Choe, who also reports for Frontlines, powered by Turning Point USA, said he was surprised by how informal and open the meeting was. “It was a surreal experience,” he said. “I got to meet President Trump, and the guy was really accessible. It was actually a pretty casual setting, and that made it easier to share what we were there for — and that’s Antifa.”
"Antifa uses these nonprofits associated with the 'Homeless Industrial Complex' or housing and they go in there essentially as muscle and they create the crisis with cops… the defund the police movement."
Jonathan @choeshow details Antifa's connection to 'Homeless Inc.' pic.twitter.com/JdDx0409Pt
— Ari Hoffman 🎗 (@thehoffather) October 13, 2025
A Rapidly Assembled Roundtable
According to Choe, the White House press team invited him on short notice. “This wasn’t some pre-planned roundtable a month in the making,” he said. “I got a call on Monday and was in Washington, D.C. by Wednesday. When the president calls, you go.”
The meeting brought together several journalists from the Pacific Northwest, including The Post Millennial’s Andy Ngo and Katie Daviscourt, and podcaster Brandi Kruse. “We thought we’d all be saying the same thing — that we’ve been harassed or attacked by Antifa — but everyone brought a unique perspective,” Choe said. “That’s what made it valuable for the president and his team.”
Antifa and the Homeless Industrial Complex
Choe used his time with the president to discuss new research from the Discovery Institute and the Capital Research Center, released that same day, detailing Antifa’s ties to nonprofit groups and taxpayer-funded organizations within what he calls the “homeless industrial complex.”
“In many cases, groups like Stop the Sweeps — including their Seattle branch — align with Antifa,” Choe explained. “Antifa inserts itself into these nonprofits and acts as the muscle, creating chaos during encampment removals. They’ve essentially hijacked housing and homelessness activism to advance far-left anarchist goals.”
The report, Choe said, shows how public dollars indirectly flow to organizations that aid Antifa-aligned causes. “This research clearly shows that there are nonprofits in America, funded by taxpayers, supporting this terrorist organization,” he said.
Acknowledgment from Trump and His Cabinet
Choe and his fellow journalists spent nearly two hours with President Trump, who was joined by members of his cabinet, including South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, and national security adviser Kash Patel. “We were surprised we got that much time,” Choe said. “And I personally handed the report to Kristi Noem and Pam Bondi. They said they’re going to use it to help root out Antifa and the organizations that support them.”
Sen. Marco Rubio briefly interrupted the meeting to update the president on the Gaza peace deal, but Choe said that didn’t overshadow the significance of the discussion. “The most rewarding part for me personally was hearing the president say that Antifa is not just an idea — it’s a domestic terrorist group,” he said.
From Local Attacks to National Recognition
Choe reflected on the personal significance of the moment, given his history of being targeted by Antifa and critics in local media. “It really was validating,” he said. “You were the first guy who called me after I got fired from KOMO. I didn’t know where my career was going to go, but that’s when I decided to double down and focus on far-left extremism and Antifa.”
He added that the acknowledgment from the White House “re-energized everyone in the room” and sent a message that “the eyes of the nation are on Seattle.”
Even KOMO News, his former employer, covered his White House appearance — something Choe called “a full-circle moment.”
“Now we’re on the same team,” Choe told Hoffman. “We have to keep representing the Pacific Northwest — and I’ll tell you, the president is watching everything that comes out of Seattle.”