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Donald Trump has called for billionaire Democrat donor George Soros to face legal charges of racketeering and corruption for allegedly backing “violent protests” throughout the US.

In a post on his social media platform on Wednesday, Trump alleged that the 95-year-old Soros and his “radical left” son Alex, who oversees the family’s charitable foundation, “should be charged with RICO,” referencing a statute typically used to fight organized crime.

“We’re not going to allow these lunatics to tear America apart anymore, without giving it a chance to ‘BREATHE,’ and be FREE,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Soros, and his group of psychopaths, have inflicted great harm on our Country!” he added. “That includes his Crazy, West Coast associates. Be cautious, we’re watching you!”

This assault followed reports in right-leaning media this month, claiming that the Open Society Foundations, which allocates grants for Soros to progressive initiatives, was funding protests, particularly against the deployment of troops in Washington DC under the Trump administration.

A representative for OSF responded to Trump’s remarks: “These claims are outrageous and false. The Open Society Foundations do not support or fund violent protests. Our mission is to promote human rights, justice, and democratic values both domestically and globally.”

The attack on Soros — a Jewish Holocaust survivor and frequent target of the Maga right — marks Trump’s latest attempt to intimidate political adversaries with the threat of legal consequences.

In the past few months, Trump has repeatedly threatened to prosecute or jail politicians, including his former presidential rival Kamala Harris and New York Democratic mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani.

He has ordered an investigation into former president Joe Biden and his aides, and suggested a criminal probe into Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey and one-time ally.

Last week, the FBI raided the home of John Bolton, a former national security adviser to Trump who has emerged as a strong critic of the president’s foreign policy.

Trump has long reserved some of his sharpest ire for the Soros family, who were among the largest donors to the Harris campaign, spending more than $85mn in the 2024 election cycle. During his criminal trial in New York last year, Trump constantly highlighted that district attorney Alvin Bragg had been backed by Soros.

Trump himself faced Rico charges by state prosecutors in Georgia over his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The case stalled after the original prosecutor was removed by a higher court.

Trump’s threat on Wednesday garnered support from Elon Musk, who posted that it was “high time action was taken against Soros directly”. Musk previously blamed Soros for protests outside Tesla dealerships at the height of his unpopular tenure in government.