Trump announces plan to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organization

US President Donald Trump has announced plans to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization.

“This will be done in the strongest and most effective way. The final documents are being prepared,” Trump stated in an interview with Just the News.

This step follows requests from think tanks and members of Congress.

Last week, Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott designated the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as foreign terrorist organizations within the state.

A federal designation aims to cut off funding and other forms of support to the targeted group.

Prior to the president’s announcement, Just the News had reported growing momentum within the Trump administration to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization.

Last week, the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) claimed that the Muslim Brotherhood had “completed half” of its plan to “transform Western society from within.”

“The Muslim Brotherhood is 50 years into its 100-year plan to embed itself in key institutions in the US and other Western societies to weaken and destroy our democracy,” said ISGAP director Dr. Charles Asher Small. “This is not just a political movement, but a transnational ideological project that seeks to weaken Western systems while adapting to them.”

In a harsh October report on the Muslim Brotherhood, the conservative-leaning think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) stated, “Globally, the Brotherhood is a gateway to terrorism, instilling in its members religious doctrines and hatred that justify violence.”

Trump had also considered designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization during his first administration. At that time, the Muslim Brotherhood opposed the potential designation, describing its work as “advocating for moderate and peaceful thought in what we believe to be right, for honest and constructive cooperation, and to serve the communities we live in and humanity.”

In August, Senator Marco Rubio indicated that efforts were underway to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization.

“Because the Muslim Brotherhood has different branches, it is necessary to designate each one separately,” Rubio said, noting that a long preparation process was required to make the designation.

Trump’s plans represent a complete departure from the policy of the previous US administration. In 2012, after the overthrow of the Hosni Mubarak regime in Egypt, representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood met with several US officials, including White House staff under former President Barack Obama.

During the Obama era, White House spokesman Tommy Vietor told POLITICO that “after the Egyptian revolution,” the US “expanded its relationships to include new and emerging political parties and actors.”

Some Middle Eastern states also oppose the Brotherhood. Egypt and Jordan have completely banned the Muslim Brotherhood, while Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain have classified it as a terrorist organization.