US President Donald Trump has called on all countries that are members of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to withdraw from the institution, accusing it of operating as an “anti-American tribunal” without jurisdiction over the United States.
Trump made the remarks on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, during his address to the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he launched a broad criticism of several international institutions and challenged what he described as the globalist approach to international governance.
The US president said Washington would not accept the authority of the ICC over American service members or other US nationals.
“We will never allow U.S. service members or anyone else to be investigated or given show trials by an anti-American tribunal with no jurisdiction over us,” Trump said.
He subsequently described the ICC as a “rogue institution” and urged its member states to leave.
“I call on all nations that are members of the ICC to officially resign from this rogue institution immediately.”
Trump’s comments form part of his administration’s continuing opposition to the ICC. Reuters reported ahead of his UN address that the Trump administration was preparing sweeping sanctions against the court as part of efforts to isolate and ultimately dismantle the institution.
The ICC investigates and prosecutes individuals accused of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
In his address, Trump also turned his attention to the persecution of Christians in different parts of the world, arguing that international human rights institutions should focus more attention on what he described as genuine atrocities and religious persecution.
“Christians are being persecuted all over the world,” Trump said.
“It’s not even believable. I never thought I’d say it, but it’s been happening for a long time.”
The president argued that Christians continue to face persecution under some of the world’s most repressive regimes, suggesting that the international community should devote greater attention to such cases.
Trump has previously made the issue of Christian persecution a feature of his public statements on religious freedom.
In June 2026, he told the Faith and Freedom Coalition that Christians are being attacked in different parts of the world and said his administration is seeking to protect them.
He also raised the issue during his first presidency, when he highlighted the plight of Christians facing harassment, imprisonment, torture and violence because of their faith.
Trump used the same section of his speech to criticise what he described as the priorities of senior UN human rights officials.
He said it is unacceptable, in his view, for UN human rights authorities to criticise US policies while, according to him, insufficient attention is being given to persecution and atrocities against Christians elsewhere.
“It is equally unacceptable that with all the genuine atrocities in the world, the UN’s top human rights officials spend their time criticizing the United States,” Trump said.
He specifically referred to US policies concerning transgender issues and immigration, defending his administration’s approach while accusing UN human rights officials of failing to give adequate attention to Christian persecution.
Trump characterised the situation as a contradiction between international criticism of US domestic policies and what he sees as more serious human rights abuses taking place in other countries.
The US president further connected the issue of human rights and religious persecution to his longstanding opposition to illegal immigration.
According to Trump, some of the same international actors pressing the United States to change its immigration policies are, in his view, insufficiently focused on the actions of repressive regimes where Christians face persecution.
He argued that the United States should not be expected to open its borders to what he described as gangs and criminals from dangerous parts of the world.
Trump’s remarks are consistent with the broader themes of his 2026 UN address, which included US sovereignty, immigration, international institutions, military power and his administration’s approach to global conflicts.
Reuters reported that the president used the speech to defend US foreign policy while sharply criticising institutions he believes constrain American sovereignty.
Trump’s attack on the ICC comes amid an increasingly tense relationship between Washington and the court.
The United States is not a party to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC. The court has nevertheless pursued investigations involving alleged crimes connected to US military operations, including its Afghanistan investigation. The Trump administration has argued that the court has no legitimate authority over US personnel.
The administration has also objected to ICC actions involving Israeli officials. Reuters reported that these disputes are among the factors behind Washington’s current campaign of sanctions and pressure against the court.
Trump’s latest appeal therefore places the ICC at the centre of his broader argument that international organisations should not exercise authority over the United States without its consent.
His call for ICC member states to withdraw, coupled with his criticism of UN human rights officials and his emphasis on the persecution of Christians, marked another forceful challenge to the role of international institutions in regulating or scrutinising national governments.
By 1960news.com
