Donald Trump says he will designate Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organisation

US President tells news outlet 'it will be done in the strongest and most powerful terms'

Donald Trump speaks to reporters outside the White House. EPA

US President Donald Trump has said he would designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organisation, he told Just the News on Sunday.

Mr Trump said that "it will be done in the strongest and most powerful terms" and that "final documents are being drawn". In August, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a designation for parts of the Brotherhood was “in the works”.

The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in Egypt in the 1920s, and is the largest global Islamist organisation. Several countries already consider the Brotherhood to be a terrorist group, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and Russia.

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The news comes after the US state of Texas last week designated the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organisations. Governor Greg Abbott said in a post on X that the action bans the groups from buying or acquiring land in Texas and authorises the Attorney General to sue to shut them down.

The move will apply at the state level, as only the Secretary of State can issue designations of foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organisations. It carries no federal immigration consequences, asset freezes or criminal penalties that accompany designations at the federal level.

The announcement comes as conservative figures have been pushing for a federal designation of the Muslim Brotherhood. In July, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas introduced a bill to designate the group. Legislation had previously been introduced in the House of Representatives.

Far-right commentator Laura Loomer, believed to be a close adviser to President Donald Trump, has frequently spoken in favour of designating the Brotherhood.

Other countries have also been working to limit the Brotherhood's influence. The French government said in July that it would take new measures to tackle the group's influence in France, including the disbanding of endowment funds and a new asset-freeze mechanism. In October, Jordan handed down verdicts in a series of high-profile cases that, authorities said threatened national security and sought to incite unrest.