US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order initiating a process that could see specific chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood formally designated as "Foreign Terrorist Organizations" (FTOs) and "Specially Designated Global Terrorists" (SDGTs), granting Washington sweeping powers to impose sanctions, freeze assets, and criminalize material support.

The move marks one of the administration’s most aggressive steps yet against political Islamist movements and comes amid renewed pressure from far-right activists and right-wing lawmakers demanding federal action against the Brotherhood.

White House launches multi-agency designation process

According to the White House fact sheet, the order directs Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, after consultations with the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence, to evaluate whether chapters of the Brotherhood in countries such as Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon meet the legal threshold for "terrorist designation".

“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,” the fact sheet said.

Initially, within 30 days, the State and Treasury Departments must submit an assessment of whether specific chapters meet the criteria for designation. Then, after 45 days of the report, the administration must take “appropriate action", which may include full FTO designation, SDGT designation, or additional sanctions. Designation would enable Washington to freeze assets, restrict travel, and impose criminal penalties on individuals or entities deemed to provide support.

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Pressure from Trump’s base accelerates move

Trump’s decision follows days of public pressure from conservative allies. Far-right islamophobe Laura Loomer and several pro-Trump media figures had openly criticized the administration for inaction, urging immediate steps to blacklist the Brotherhood.

The executive order appears to respond directly to that pressure, signaling to Trump’s political base that the administration is taking a harder line on organizations it accuses of fostering extremism or undermining US partners. The move also follows an announcement by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who last week designated the Muslim Brotherhood as both a "foreign terrorist organization" and a "transnational criminal organization" under state authority, an unprecedented step at the state level.

A decades-old transnational movement

Founded in Egypt in 1928, the Muslim Brotherhood has evolved into a broad transnational network with political, religious, and social arms across the Middle East. Chapters in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and elsewhere vary widely in structure, ideology, and activity.

The White House claims that several chapters have supported violence or maintained ties with armed groups. It cited, among other examples, alleged material support from Brotherhood figures in Jordan to the Palestinian Resistance, and claims that leaders in Egypt had issued calls for attacks against US partners.

Jordan earlier this year moved to ban the organization outright, accusing it of planning attacks inside the kingdom, a claim the group has denied, according to The New York Times.

It is worth noting that as the US heads to designate the Muslim Brotherhood chapters, it has, in July, revoked the "foreign terrorist organization" designation for al-Nusrah Front, which later came to be known as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), according to a memo from the State Department.

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