Nate Willems, a candidate for Iowa Attorney General, tried to lessen the impact of a social media post he made on his X account on Wednesday. This post compared Antifa, a group designated as a terror organization, to American service members during D-Day.
Willems had shared several tweets during the peak of the Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020, suggesting parallels between the actions of Americans on D-Day and those of Antifa activists. When asked about the posts on the “IowaPodcast” by host Justin Brady, he attempted to downplay their relevance.
“I don’t have a great recollection of that,” Willems remarked. “Well, I would hope that we are against fascists, right? Just like the soldiers on D-Day fought against fascism and Hitler’s Germany, I would hope we all support those basic goals.”
Brady further questioned Willems about the comparison he made between American soldiers and a group that the Trump administration classified as domestic terrorists. Willems replied, “I have no idea. I’ve never met an Antifa group. Do they exist in Iowa? I’ve never seen them at any community events or anything.” He added, “I wouldn’t know what contributes to the administration’s decision to label them a terrorist organization.”
Willems did not provide a response to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for further comment.
6/6/44: vintage Antifa. pic.twitter.com/K8RfoBHn9R
— whateveryousayman (@ohnotsouter) June 6, 2020
One of the posts showed soldiers landing on Omaha Beach with the caption “6/6/44: Vintage Antifa.” Another featured a US Army paratrooper aircraft, titled “a plane full of uniformed antifa, circa 1944.” (RELATED: Democrat Attorney General Candidate Boosted Comparisons Of Antifa To D-Day Troops)
During D-Day, the Allied Forces faced over 10,300 total casualties.
Antifa has been linked to violence and property destruction across various American cities, including Portland, Oregon, Berkeley, California, and Seattle, Washington. The group has been known to doxx law enforcement officers, ignite flares at Turning Point USA events, and physically assault conservatives.
In September 2025, President Donald Trump designated Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization.
Willems is competing against Republican incumbent Brenna Bird for the position of Iowa’s Attorney General.
