Trump signs order to weigh whether Muslim Brotherhood chapters should be designated terror groups

US President Donald Trump has just signed an executive order directing the US secretaries of state and treasury to consider whether certain chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood should be designated as terror organizations, the White House announces.

The announcement stops short of an actual designation, as some anticipated, and indicates that the process will be more complicated and take time, as the Muslim Brotherhood is not a centralized organization with an international headquarters. Rather, chapters vary in ideology and politics depending on the country in which they are based.

The executive order directs US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to submit a report within 30 days on whether to designate chapters such as the ones in Lebanon, Egypt, and Jordan as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) or Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs).

If the reports conclude that such designations are warranted, the two secretaries will have 45 days to comply, the executive order says.

“The order’s ultimate aim is to eliminate the designated chapters’ capabilities and operations, deprive them of resources, and end any threat such chapters pose to US nationals and the national security of the United States,” reads a statement from the White House.

???? President Donald J. Trump just signed an Executive Order directing @SecRubio and @SecScottBessent to begin the process of designating certain chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists.

Here is the text of…

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 24, 2025

The White House claims that the Lebanese wing of the Muslim Brotherhood helped terror groups launch multiple rocket attacks targeting Israel, while a senior member of the Egypt wing encouraged attacks against US allies in the Middle East hours after Hamas’s October 7 attack. Hamas began as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood.

The White House asserts that the Jordanian wing of the Brotherhood has also long provided support to the military wing of Hamas, which the US has already designated as an FTO.

Notably, the executive order makes no mention of Qatar and Turkey, which both have had ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, but have also become close allies of the administration. Both countries have hosted exiled Muslim Brotherhood leaders, albeit with the knowledge and sometimes urging of the US.

A wide rang of Muslim Brotherhood-linked organizations and charities operate in Turkey and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AKP party shares ideological affinities with the Brotherhood, even though the latter remains formally separate.

Qatar has also historically been seen as a major backer of Muslim Brotherhood ideology via its diplomatic efforts and the media outlets that the government funds. However, there is no formal Muslim Brotherhood chapter in Qatar and the organization’s members have faced limitations in recent years inside the country.

It’s unclear how stridently the order will be upheld, even if specific chapters are designated.

In February, Trump signed an executive order sanctioning the International Criminal Court over its efforts to prosecute Israeli and US officials. However, only three Palestinian human rights organizations were sanctioned for cooperating with those cases against Jerusalem and Washington, even though a wide range of organizations across the globe are believed to have assisted in the same effort.

Regardless, the sanctioning of the Muslim Brotherhood will likely have a chilling effect on any organization considering doing business with local chapters around the globe who will think twice about the legal ramifications of such cooperation.