Trump Announces Plan to Designate Muslim Brotherhood a “Foreign Terrorist Organization”

President Donald Trump has confirmed his administration is finalizing plans to officially designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), a decisive move that would criminalize the group’s operations within the United States and align American foreign policy with key Arab allies.
In an interview with Just the News on Sunday, President Trump stated the designation would be implemented “in the strongest and most powerful terms,” aiming to sever financial and logistical support for the Islamist movement globally. “They are a threat to our national security and to the stability of our friends in the Middle East,” Trump said, indicating that the State Department is currently finalizing the necessary paperwork.
The announcement comes just days after Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a similar executive order at the state level, designating both the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as terrorist organizations. Governor Abbott’s move, which bans these groups from operating in Texas, was widely seen as a precursor to federal action.
The designation is expected to trigger significant geopolitical shockwaves. It places the United States firmly in the camp of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain, all of which have long outlawed the group, accusing it of fueling extremism and instability. Conversely, the decision threatens to strain relations with Turkey and Qatar, nations that have historically provided refuge or political support to Brotherhood figures.
Legislatively, the move is bolstered by the “Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act of 2025,” recently reintroduced by Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and John Cornyn (R-TX). “The Muslim Brotherhood preaches death to the West and provides the ideological fuel for groups like Hamas,” Senator Cruz stated in support of the President’s decision.
Civil rights groups in the U.S. have reacted with alarm. CAIR, which has already filed a federal lawsuit against Governor Abbott’s designation in Texas, condemned the potential federal action as “unconstitutional and defamatory.” The organization denies any links to terrorism and warns that such a broad designation could be used to target legitimate Muslim advocacy groups and stifle civil liberties.
If enacted, the FTO designation would freeze any U.S. assets tied to the Muslim Brotherhood, ban its members from entering the country, and make providing “material support” to the group a federal crime punishable by severe prison sentences.