Trump, Islam, and the New Politics of Fear: How American Rhetoric Shapes Global Extremism
By New Age Islam Staff Writer
3 November 2025
Donald Trump's politics was built on simplicity - "good guys versus bad guys," "us versus them." But terrorism, especially its Islamic form, is never that simple. It is born from political failures, wars and deep psychological wounds. In the process, Trump turned Muslims into symbols of fear, weakening the global fight against extremism. His politics gave extremists a mirror image of themselves, both sides driven by resentment, identity, and revenge. And that is something the next generation of leaders needs to comprehend: defeating terrorism requires not louder threats but deeper understanding. Security cannot come from fear alone; it needs to be rooted in justice, empathy, and dialogue.
Main Points:
1. Trump’s politics was not merely about walls and tariffs; it was about redefining America’s role as a civilizational power.
2. In doing so, his administration rekindled old cultural fears and reinterpreted the “War on Terror” as a clash between Western identity and Islam itself.
3. This shift in rhetoric and policy, though politically effective at home, had unintended global effects feeding the very extremism it sought to suppress.
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When Donald J. Trump entered the White House in 2017, he brought with him a political style that was brash, confrontational, and unapologetically populist. His “America First” slogan appealed to a section of Americans who felt alienated by globalization, immigration, and liberal multiculturalism. But this domestic populism also carried deep consequences for the world, especially for Muslim societies already shaken by decades of war, Western intervention, and extremist backlash.
Trump’s politics was not merely about walls and tariffs; it was about redefining America’s role as a civilizational power. In doing so, his administration rekindled old cultural fears and reinterpreted the “War on Terror” as a clash between Western identity and Islam itself. This shift in rhetoric and policy, though politically effective at home, had unintended global effects feeding the very extremism it sought to suppress.
The Politics of Fear and Identity
From the early days of his campaign, Trump employed Islam as a symbol in his political narrative. His speeches often referred to "radical Islamic terrorism," a term he insisted on using despite urging from advisors to soften his rhetoric. In his campaign rallies, he often blurred the distinction between violent extremists and the broader Muslim community.
When Trump called for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States" in 2015, he gave legitimacy to a worldview that treated Islam not as a faith practiced by 1.8 billion people, but as a monolithic threat. To millions of Muslims around the world, this wasn't an immigration policy, but a declaration that their faith itself was being placed on trial.
In political psychology, fear is a potent mobilizer. Trump's narrative employed fear of terrorism to unite his base around a common sense of cultural siege. Trump pushed counterterrorism as an identity battle, framing Islam as a civilizational foil.
Comparing Trump with Previous Presidents
George W. Bush: The Reluctant Warrior
After the 9/11 attacks, President George W. Bush launched the “War on Terror,” but he also went out of his way to declare that “Islam is peace.” His policies in Afghanistan and Iraq were devastating, yet his rhetoric maintained a distinction between Islam as a religion and terrorism as a political act. Bush, at least rhetorically, recognized that alienating Muslims could worsen the conflict.
Barack Obama: The Reforming Diplomat
Barack Obama entered office with two wars and a global image problem. In his famous 2009 Cairo speech, he reached out to the Muslim world, calling for "a new beginning" between the United States and Islam. Obama replaced invasion with drone warfare, emphasizing dialogue and counter-radicalization through local partnerships. His methods were more subtle but not free from controversy-the rise of ISIS during his presidency partly reflected the power vacuums his cautious policies created.
Donald Trump: The Populist Crusader
Trump's approach broke sharply with both predecessors. He treated Islam not as a faith to engage but as an ideology to defeat. Unlike Bush, he didn't separate moderate Muslims from extremists. Unlike Obama, he didn't seek mutual respect or dialogue. Trump's approach appealed to domestic anger and nationalist sentiment but it made America's image in the Muslim world toxic.
While Bush and Obama fought terrorism as a security threat, Trump turned it into a cultural war.
The Muslim Ban and Its Symbolism
One of Trump's first executive orders was the 2017 travel ban on citizens of a number of Muslim-majority countries, including Iran, Syria, Yemen, Libya, and Somalia. Officially, it was about "national security." In practice, it was perceived around the world as a "Muslim ban."
The imagery was potent: Muslims being stopped at airports, families separated, and refugees denied entry. Then there were the extremist groups that seized on the moment. ISIS propaganda outlets immediately declared, “America has declared war on Islam.” To recruiters of radicals, Trump’s language was a gift proof that the West was inherently hostile to Muslims.
Across large swaths of the globe, such as North Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East, local Islamist movements used Trump's words as vindication. The narrative of humiliation-a cornerstone of jihadist ideology-found fresh oxygen.
How Trump's Rhetoric Fuelled Extremism
Extremist groups often use grievance, identity, and victimhood to entice an audience. Trump’s speeches describing Muslims as dangerous, mocking refugees, and calling Middle Eastern nations “terrorist factories” reinforced perceptions that Muslims were under siege.
In countries from Pakistan to Indonesia and Egypt, Trump's presidency became a subject in Friday sermons and in local discussions. For radical preachers, Trump was more than just any Western leader; he was proof of Western hypocrisy.
While Trump insisted he was talking only about "radical Islam," the nuance got lost in translation. In Muslim-majority societies, he was heard attacking Islam itself.
This, sociologically, is how radicalization happens: when identity becomes defensive; when faith is the last refuge against perceived humiliation.
Impact on the Muslim World
1. Diplomatic Isolation and Distrust
Trump's "America First" doctrine pulled the United States away from major areas of international diplomacy. He withdrew from the Iran nuclear accord, banned travel, and moved the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem-a move that has alienated not just Palestinians but Muslims worldwide.
The message came across loud and clear: American policy now favored transactional power politics over moral diplomacy. The U.S. was no longer an honest broker; it had chosen sides in the most emotive conflict in the Muslim world.
2. Emergence of Authoritarian Allies
Trump spoke openly in praise of the strongman leaders of the Middle East, from Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia to Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt. To Trump's administration, they were stable partners in the fight against "radical Islam."
But these regimes used that endorsement to crack down on political dissent, branding all opposition, even moderate Islamic movements like the Muslim Brotherhood as “terrorists.”
This reinforced a dangerous binary: Islamists versus autocrats. When peaceful political Islam is suppressed, militant Islam finds fertile ground.
3. Collapse of Soft Power
Under Obama, America’s image among Muslims, though damaged, was still anchored in ideals of liberty and democracy. Under Trump, that moral credibility vanished. His frequent anti-Muslim statements, coupled with rising Islamophobia in Western societies, made the U.S. appear as a hostile power.
As the American universities and NGOs lost their trust in Muslim countries, China and Russia expanded their influence often with more authoritarian models of control.
Impact on Global Security and Terrorism
While Trump claimed he “defeated ISIS,” the group’s ideology never disappeared. In 2020, ISIS and Al-Qaeda affiliates had spread across the Sahel, South Asia, and parts of Southeast Asia. The defeat of the “caliphate” in Iraq and Syria was military, not ideological.
Analysts pointed to a spike in online jihadist forums recruitment following Trump's inflammatory speeches. Once again, the rhetoric of humiliation lay at the center. The more the West insulted Islam, the more radicals claimed revenge was their moral duty.
Even within the US and Europe, hate crimes against Muslims rose sharply during Trump's term, further deepening divisions and alienation and making Muslim youths in diaspora communities more vulnerable to extremist narratives.
The "Us vs. Them" Trap
Trump's politics ran on binary logic: patriots versus traitors, citizens versus outsiders, Christians versus Muslims. Framing like this is politically useful but disastrous for social cohesion.
In counter-terrorism, the consensus among experts is that alienating an entire community is the surest way to breed radicalization. When Muslims in the West feel distrusted and demonised, they turn inward. Isolation becomes resentment, and resentment can be manipulated by extremist ideologues.
This dynamic mirrors what happened in the early 2000s, when anti-Muslim sentiment in Europe fuelled the rise of home-grown terrorists in London and Paris. Now it's happening all over again under Trump's watch.
The Geopolitical Aftershocks
Trump's policies have also realigned alliances in the Islamic world. His withdrawal from international agreements and his personal approach to diplomacy broke long-standing balances.
Iran: The nuclear deal's abrogation isolated moderates in Tehran and emboldened hardliners, who exploited Trump's hostility as a casus belli for militarization and regional aggression.
Turkey: Ankara drifted away from Washington and closer to Russia and China after a failure by Trump to manage the complex Kurdish question.
Afghanistan: Trump negotiated directly with the Taliban, circumventing the Afghan government. While he touted it as "ending endless wars," the agreement effectively legitimized a militant group that then laid the groundwork for the chaotic U.S. exit in 2021.
Each of these moves strengthened the narrative that militancy, not diplomacy, yields results.
Populism and Islamophobia in the Global Context
Trump's rhetoric did not stay within the confines of America. It emboldened the right-wing movements in Europe, India, and Australia. From the Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán to the Hindutva nationalists in India, leaders parroted Trump's line that the West-or their own nation-was under siege from Islam.
This narrative found resonance in anti-Muslim politics that sought legitimacy in the global "war on terror" in India, while far-right parties in Europe used Trump's success as proof that Islamophobia was electorally rewarding.
Thus, Trump's presidency became a global moment of normalization for anti-Muslim politics making it harder for moderate voices to argue for coexistence and dialogue.
Policy Recommendations: Lessons from the Trump Era
1. Redefine Counterterrorism Beyond Religion
The framing of terrorism by governments needs to avoid using religious identity. It is the political violence that counterterrorism should address, not faith. The labelling of an entire religion as suspect fuels extremism, rather than curbs it.
2. Dialogue for Rebuilding of Trust
Global leaders, including India, should revive interfaith dialogue and people-to-people diplomacy. This can correct misperceptions through cultural and educational exchanges and weaken extremist recruitment.
3. Promote Moderate Islamic Movements
Instead of labelling all Islamic political movements as "terrorist," the world has to make a distinction between violent extremism and democratic participation. Suppressing moderate Islamists only strengthens radicals.
4. Humanizing Muslims in Media
It is through the media that perceptions are shaped. Rather than amplify hate speech or stereotypes, journalism must focus on Muslim contributions to democracy, science, and culture.
5. Justice Should Have Priority In Foreign Policy
Nothing feeds militancy more than injustice. A just approach on the Israel-Palestine question, protection of minority rights, and accountability for war crimes are crucial to defuse anti-Western anger. 6. Learn from India's Diversity India, with its long tradition of coexistence, can offer an alternative model-one rooted in pluralism rather than polarization. The Indian leadership can show that security and tolerance can coexist by promoting inclusive nationalism.
Conclusion: The Danger in Simplifying Evil
Donald Trump's politics was built on simplicity - "good guys versus bad guys," "us versus them." But terrorism, especially its Islamic form, is never that simple. It is born from political failures, wars and deep psychological wounds. In the process, Trump turned Muslims into symbols of fear, weakening the global fight against extremism. His politics gave extremists a mirror image of themselves, both sides driven by resentment, identity, and revenge. And that is something the next generation of leaders needs to comprehend: defeating terrorism requires not louder threats but deeper understanding. Security cannot come from fear alone; it needs to be rooted in justice, empathy, and dialogue.
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