Trump: America’s Campaign Against ICC Is to Protect Netanyahu

US President Donald Trump has said that Washington’s campaign against the International Criminal Court (ICC) is primarily aimed at shielding Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and other officials from prosecution, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio argued that the effort is also meant to protect American officials from possible future ICC cases.
The US president insisted that he himself is not the focus of the court’s investigations. Trump made these remarks on July 31 during a cabinet meeting at Camp David, when Rubio briefed ministers on efforts to persuade member states to leave the Hague-based court.
Rubio later announced that five countries had expressed intent to withdraw from the ICC following a US-led campaign earlier this month. Addressing the meeting, Trump rejected the suggestion that the administration’s actions were meant to protect him personally. Trump said, “There’s no word that they’re after me. It’s possible, but you should know… he (Rubio) is not trying to defend me. He’s trying to defend Bibi (Netanyahu) and others.”
According to Rubio, the ICC campaign is not solely about the Israeli prime minister. He argued that US military personnel could also face prosecution at the ICC in the future — potentially years after taking part in military operations — making the administration’s opposition to the court a broader national security issue.
It’s worth noting that the International Criminal Court (ICC), established in 2002 and based in The Hague, investigates allegations of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Although the United States is not a member of the ICC, the court can still prosecute citizens of non-member states if the alleged crimes were committed on the territory of a member state.
The Trump administration has sharply escalated its criticism of the court since returning to office, particularly after the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over alleged war crimes during the Gaza conflict. As part of this strategy, the US administration is encouraging member states to withdraw from the ICC while also imposing travel and financial sanctions on court officials — though these measures are already facing legal challenges from ICC judges and American advocacy groups.