U.S. President Donald Trump has said he would “absolutely” support prohibiting Sharia law in the United States, arguing that America must maintain a single legal system applicable to everyone.
Trump made the remarks during an interview with conservative broadcaster Glenn Beck on August 26, 2026, after Beck asked whether the president would support or sign a proposed “No Sharia Law Act” for America. Trump responded unequivocally that he would support such a measure.
«“I would absolutely prohibit the Sharia law thing. And it is happening in this country a little bit. And where we see it, we take it out… You have one system. We have a great system. Sometimes it’s very frustrating, but it’s the best there is, that I can see.”»
Trump also criticized what he described as the emergence of Sharia as an alternative way of life in parts of Western Europe, specifically pointing to London and Paris.
“You go to London, you go to Paris. It’s almost like a second way of life. It’s ridiculous,” Trump said, according to the interview transcript.
Trump’s “One System” Argument
The president’s comments center on the argument that the United States should operate under one national legal framework rather than allowing any religious legal code to supersede American law.
However, the legal reality surrounding Sharia in the United States is more complicated than the phrase “Sharia law in America” might suggest.
U.S. courts do not operate under Sharia as a parallel government legal system. Religious communities, including Muslims, Jews and Christians, may use religious principles in voluntary mediation or private dispute-resolution arrangements, but such arrangements remain subject to American law and constitutional protections. The Pew Research Center has documented the existence of religious tribunals and mediation systems in the United States, including Islamic dispute-resolution services, while noting that they do not function as government courts applying an independent legal system.
Some states have nevertheless enacted laws restricting the use of foreign or religious law where its application would conflict with constitutional rights. Florida's 2026 statute, for example, expressly includes Sharia within its definition of “religious law” and prohibits courts and other legal authorities from applying religious or foreign law when doing so would violate constitutional rights or public policy.
Trump Points to Europe
Trump's remarks also revive a broader debate over immigration, integration, religious freedom and the role of religious practices in Western societies.
The president has repeatedly criticized conditions in London and Paris, arguing that some communities have become increasingly separated from mainstream national institutions. In a later interview in September, Trump again referred to areas of London and Paris while making claims about law enforcement and what he described as Sharia courts.
His latest comments are therefore likely to fuel an already contentious American debate over whether additional federal legislation is necessary to prevent religious principles from influencing legal proceedings, or whether existing constitutional and statutory protections are already sufficient.
For now, Trump has made his position clear: he says America should have one legal system, and he would support efforts to prohibit Sharia law from functioning as an alternative legal authority in the United States.
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