Trump Urges ICC Member Nations to Withdraw From Tribunal

President Donald Trump has urged every country belonging to the International Criminal Court to leave the body, sharpening his administration's attacks on the global judicial institution. Speaking Tuesday at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, Trump said, "The United States is equally opposed to the out-of-control institution known as the International Criminal Court." He then added, "I call on all nations that are members of the ICC to officially resign from this rogue institution immediately." The ICC, headquartered in The Hague, brings cases against people accused of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. The United States does not belong to the court and has never ratified the Rome Statute, the agreement that created it. Israel, Russia, and China are also not members. Trump's comments come as tensions between his administration and the court continue to rise. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has sharply condemned the ICC and called it a danger to U.S. sovereignty, and the Trump administration has placed sanctions on officials at the court. Washington's resistance has grown stronger after the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a key American ally. In his U.N. remarks, Trump said his administration would reject any attempt by the ICC to assert authority over U.S. personnel. He said Washington would never permit American service members or others to be investigated or subjected to show trials by what he described as an anti-American tribunal lacking jurisdiction over the United States. The Trump administration argues that the ICC has no authority over the United States because Washington is not a party to the Rome Statute. However, under certain conditions, the court's jurisdiction can reach alleged crimes committed on the soil of member states even if the accused person is a citizen of a country that is not an ICC member. Trump's latest comments strengthen his administration's wider effort against the court, with Washington trying to pressure the institution over investigations and prosecutions that involve U.S. personnel and officials from allied nations.