The Trump administration reportedly took a major step Tuesday to confront Islamic extremism, formally designating three branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations and rolling out new sanctions aimed at choking off the group’s ability to operate.
The most severe action was taken against the Lebanese branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, which the administration officially labeled a Foreign Terrorist Organization. That designation makes it a federal crime to provide material support to the group under U.S. law. The administration also designated the Jordanian and Egyptian branches as global terrorist entities, citing their support for Hamas, which the United States already classifies as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the move marks the beginning of a broader campaign to counter the Muslim Brotherhood’s influence and violence. In a statement, Rubio said the designations reflect the opening actions of a sustained effort to stop Muslim Brotherhood chapters from engaging in terrorism and destabilization wherever they operate, adding that the United States will use every available tool to deprive them of resources.
The designations follow an executive order signed in November by President Donald Trump, which laid the groundwork for classifying specific Muslim Brotherhood chapters as terrorist organizations. At the time, Trump said final documents were being prepared to ensure the designations were carried out “in the strongest and most powerful terms.”
According to the executive order, the Lebanese chapter worked alongside Hamas, Hezbollah, and other Palestinian factions to launch rockets at civilian and military targets in Israel. The order also accused the Egyptian branch of calling for violent attacks against U.S. partners and American interests, while stating that leaders of the Jordanian branch provided material support to Hamas’s militant wing.
“These activities threaten the security of American civilians in the Levant and other parts of the Middle East, as well as the safety and stability of our regional partners,” the order said.
The administration’s action comes after Republican governors took similar steps at the state level. In late 2025, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued orders labeling the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or Council on American-Islamic Relations, as foreign terrorist organizations. CAIR describes itself as the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights group, but it responded by suing both states and denying any support for terrorism. After DeSantis’s order, the group accused the Florida governor of being “Israel first.”
Abbott has urged the Trump administration to revoke CAIR’s tax-exempt status, arguing that federal investigators and court filings have identified the group as a subsidiary of the Muslim Brotherhood and a front organization for Hamas in the United States. He also pointed to a recent report alleging that CAIR provided cash grants to college students who disrupted classes and harassed others while celebrating Hamas’s October 7 attack.
The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in Egypt in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna, who openly promoted jihad against non-Muslims and wrote that jihad is an obligation for every Muslim. Egypt banned the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013, and Jordan followed suit in April 2025, underscoring the growing international effort to curb the group’s influence.
