Trump Calls on All Nations to Resign from International Criminal Court at UN General Assembly

On September 22, 2026, US President Donald Trump called on all member nations of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to immediately resign from the tribunal during his address to the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.[1][4]

Framing the Hague-based court as an "out-of-control institution," Trump declared that the United States would never allow its service members to face investigations by a body it does not recognize. "I call on all nations that are members of the ICC to officially resign from this rogue institution immediately," he told the gathered world leaders.[1][2][3][4]

The public demand marks a sharp escalation in Washington's ongoing campaign against the global tribunal, which prosecutes war crimes and genocide. The United States is not a state party to the Rome Statute—the founding treaty that established the court—and has consistently rejected its authority.[3][4]

During his address, Trump emphasized that other major military powers, including Israel, Russia, and China, also remain outside the court's membership and jurisdiction. He characterized the ICC as an "anti-American tribunal" that illegitimately claims universal jurisdiction over sovereign nations.[1][4]

The administration's hostility toward the ICC has intensified following the court's issuance of one arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a close US ally, as well as past probes into American military actions in Afghanistan.[2][4]

In response to those investigations, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently vowed to dismantle the tribunal "brick by brick." Rubio described the court as an "intolerable threat to US sovereignty," signaling a shift from passive non-cooperation to active opposition.[3][4]

To pressure the court, Washington has already imposed a series of financial sanctions and visa bans targeting ICC officials. "We will never allow US service members or anyone else to be investigated or given show-trials by an anti-American tribunal with no jurisdiction over us," Trump stated on Tuesday.[1][3][4]

The administration is now leveraging its diplomatic weight to encourage the court's current member states to formally withdraw their support and funding. The Trump administration is reportedly preparing further sanctions against the court to undercut its ability to operate.[2][4]

Trump's wide-ranging UN speech also touched on other geopolitical priorities, including a claim that the war in Gaza had ended and an announcement that the US intends to establish two new military bases in Greenland. He also highlighted a January US military operation in Venezuela.[2]

However, his directive regarding the ICC represents a direct challenge to the international legal order favored by many European allies. The next phase of the diplomatic standoff depends on whether any current member states initiate the formal withdrawal process in response to Washington's demands, or if the US follows through with secondary sanctions against nations that continue to fund the tribunal.[2][4]