Trump on Egypt, Sisi and the Muslim Brotherhood

Trump on Egypt, Sisi and the Muslim Brotherhood

The New Arab takes a look at some of Donald Trump's tweets on the US' relationship with Egypt, the 2011 uprising that ousted dictator Hosni Mubarak and the Muslim Brotherhood.
3 min read
20 Jan, 2017
Trump has lashed out at Obama for allegedly backing the Muslim Brotherhood [Getty]
US President Donald Trump has been notorious for his colourful use of Twitter long before he won the elections last year, offering his more than 19 million followers his opinions on foreign policy.

One subject Trump has tweeted about is the United States' relationship with Egypt and the 2011 uprising that ousted dictator Hosni Mubarak.

In true Trump fashion, his positions on the Arab world's most populous country has been far from consistent, regardless Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi seems to be a big fan of the Donald.

This week, Sisi said Trump won the elections because his "honesty and truthfulness" touched the hearts and souls of voters.

Trump has wavered back and forth on whether Egypt should receive financial aid from the US.

In September 2012, he questioned why the Obama administration was still giving billions of dollars to Egypt, then in July 2013 he said: "We should not cut any aid to Egypt. Their country is in chaos and now they must form a normal civil government."

From the US President's tweet history we can see he has never been a supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, which was ousted from power by Sisi after winning Egypt's first free elections in a 2013 military takeover.

He has lashed out at Obama multiple times for allegedly backing the now-banned Islamist movement, calling the group radicals and accusing them of planning to cancel a peace treaty with Israel.

With Sisi it seems Trump has a change of heart towards Egypt, last August calling for an international conference with his "friends in the Middle East": the Egyptian President and King Abdullah of Jordan.

Sisi was the first world leader to call to congratulate Trump for winning the presidential elections in a shock victory in November.

Last month, Egypt agreed to postpone a UN vote demanding Israel to stop building settlements on Palestinian land after a phone call from Trump.

Despite Trump's anti-Muslim rhetoric, Sisi has welcomed his victory, arguing it could be a positive ‎development for the country.‎

Sisi has defended Trump's inflammatory campaign trail statements, which included a proposed ban on Muslims entering the US, saying they do not represent the actions he will take as president.

The Egyptian leader has even backed Trump's proposal to set up a database of Muslims, arguing it would ensure "security and stability".

Sisi, who assumed power in 2014 following the ousting of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, has painted himself as a regional leader in the fight against Islamic militancy – a stance that echoes Trump's priorities.