Trump orders review to designate Muslim Brotherhood branches as terrorist groups

US President Donald Trump has ordered officials to examine whether to designate some branches of the Muslim Brotherhood organization as a “terrorist group.”

This step aims to impose economic and travel sanctions on the organization.

In a presidential executive order issued on Monday, Trump asks his senior advisors to prepare a report investigating whether branches in Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan should be placed on the lists of “foreign terrorist organizations” and “specially designated global terrorists.”

The executive order refers to the organization’s links with Hamas and its “destabilization campaigns that harm their own regions, US citizens, and US interests.”

The Muslim Brotherhood, founded nearly 100 years ago, is banned in Jordan and Egypt.

The presidential order instructs US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to consult with Attorney General Pam Bondi and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and prepare a report within 30 days.

It then gives US officials 45 days to decide if sanctions should be implemented.

This decision, which Trump could order at any time, would make it illegal to provide support to the organization. It would also lead to economic sanctions and a ban on the organization’s members entering the US.

In a statement, the White House said, “President Trump is combating the Muslim Brotherhood’s transnational network, which fuels campaigns of terror and instability against US interests and our allies in the Middle East.”

Last week, Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared the Muslim Brotherhood a “foreign terrorist organization” and an “international criminal organization.”

The Texas decision also gives the same status to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest Muslim civil rights advocacy group in the US, and prevents both groups from purchasing land in the state.

Abbott said in a statement yesterday that CAIR’s X account was routed through the App Store in Turkey.

Abbott said, “This appears to be an international operational link between CAIR and a country associated with the Muslim Brotherhood. I have designated CAIR as a terrorist and international criminal organization because of such connections with this group.”

In response, CAIR stated, “This is the political organization @CAIRAction, which has already explained that its director first registered the account while visiting family in Istanbul. It can hardly be called a major terrorist conspiracy. If you want to save your ChatGPT explanation and not lose a fourth lawsuit against CAIR, you had better come up with something better than this. God willing, we will see you in court soon.”

Trump had considered designating the group a “terrorist organization” during his first term after meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Egypt and some Arab countries view the group as a threat and have banned it.

In April, Jordan banned the group after arresting members suspected of planning rocket and drone attacks.

Figures like Trump and “MAGA” supporter commentator Laura Loomer are pressuring the administration to designate the entire Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.

On Monday, Loomer and other right-wing “influencers” expressed their anger, stating that Trump’s order did not go far enough and suggested the White House avoided targeting the entire Muslim Brotherhood due to the influence of Qatar, which gifted Trump a $400 million luxury jet.

Loomer added on social media, “This was very disappointing. This designation might be the weakest one we could get for the Muslim Brotherhood.”