US President Donald Trump has described the Muslim Brotherhood as “more dangerous" than communism and said the Islamist movement had to be "neutralised".
Washington moved to designate three Muslim Brotherhood chapters as terrorist organisations in January. They were the Lebanese, Egyptian and Jordanian branches of the group. The latter was accused of “providing material support to Hamas”.
In an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, Mr Trump compared the threats posed by the Muslim Brotherhood and communism. “I think they’re both very dangerous. I think right now, the Muslim Brotherhood might be more dangerous," he said.
"It seems to be more in vogue. And surprisingly, because I would have said a different answer five years ago. But I think right now, the Muslim Brotherhood is probably more dangerous."
He added that the Muslim Brotherhood “has a missile” and that previous US administrations had left it up to him to tackle the group. “They have to be, just to use a nice word, they have to be neutralised, because they’re out there, and they’re crazy," Mr Trump said.
Conservative Americans, and particularly Mr Trump's Republican Party, have railed against communism for years. Concerns about the ideology stretches back to the Cold War, when Washington viewed the Soviet Union and the spread of communist movements as major threats to western democracy and capitalism. The rivalry shaped US foreign policy for decades, fuelling proxy wars, military interventions and a global campaign to contain Soviet influence.
The US intensified pressure on communist Cuba and its ideological ally Venezuela after Mr Trump returned to office.
His administration has also cracked down on the Muslim Brotherhood. In May, the White House 2026 counter-terrorism strategy described the group as the "root of all modern Islamist terrorism". Senator Ted Cruz urged Congress to take action on what he described as Muslim Brotherhood-linked operations in the US.
Mr Cruz's home state of Texas was the first in the country to independently declare the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group. Texas congressmen Keith Self and Chip Roy are founding members of a caucus that aims is curb the Muslim Brotherhood's influence in the US.
In December last year, Florida designated the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations as foreign terrorist organisations.
The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in Egypt in the 1920s. Several countries regard it as a terrorist group, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and Russia.
US terrorist designations are meant to isolate groups and their members by blocking their access to the country's financial system and the resources needed to carry out attacks. People and businesses that engage with designated entities could also come under sanctions.
