Trump Designates Muslim Brotherhood Chapters as Terror Groups, Excludes Israeli Territories and North America

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday afternoon designating only specific chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), after making general statements this week about categorizing the movement as a terror group, including statements made hours before the signing.

The ban notably does not include branches in Israeli territories, Europe, or North America, and instead only focuses on Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt.

Earlier in the day, President Trump had signaled to reporters and in an interview with Just the News that he intended to designate the Muslim Brotherhood “in the strongest and most powerful terms,” leading many to anticipate a sweeping measure against the organization as a whole.

The order cites actionable intelligence regarding the groups’  direct involvement in violence.

The White House’s rationale, outlined in the order, distinguishes these specific branches by their participation in “violence and destabilization campaigns.”

A closer look at recent intelligence supports these specific designations:

Lebanon (The Al-Fajr Forces): The order explicitly cites the “military wing of the Lebanese chapter.” This refers to the Al-Fajr Forces (Quwwat al-Fajr), which made headlines after the October 7 attacks by coordinating with Hamas and Hezbollah. Confirmed reports indicate they have fired salvos of rockets into northern Israel from the Arqoub region in southern Lebanon. Unlike the group’s political wing, which holds seats in Lebanon’s parliament, the Al-Fajr Forces have openly engaged in armed conflict, providing the Trump administration with a clear legal basis for the terror tag.

Jordan: The designation of the Jordanian chapter comes after a year of escalating tensions in the Kingdom. In April 2025, Jordanian authorities arrested a cell of Muslim Brotherhood members accused of smuggling weapons and drones intended for Hamas in the West Bank. The Executive Order references this “material support,” validating long-standing accusations that elements of the Jordanian Brotherhood have moved beyond political opposition into logistical support for militancy.

Egypt: While the group has been banned domestically in Egypt since 2013, the U.S. designation targets its exiled leadership’s rhetoric. The order notes a “senior leader” calling for violence against U.S. interests on October 7, 2023. This likely refers to statements made by acting leaders in the immediate aftermath of the Hamas invasion, which praised the “resistance” and urged further escalation, crossing the line from protected speech to incitement under U.S. law.

The move follows intense pressure from state-level Republican leaders. Just last week, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a state-level executive order designating the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as terrorist organizations, barring them from doing business in Texas. President Trump’s federal order appears to be a response to this growing momentum, though it stops short of the domestic sweeping bans many had hoped for.

The Executive Order gives Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Treasury Department 30 days to finalize the designations, which will freeze assets and criminalize material support for these specific chapters.