Trump urges countries to leave ICC as Naoero moves to withdraw

The Hague, Netherlands. President Donald Trump urged countries to leave the International Criminal Court immediately, calling it “evil” and “a rogue institution.” During the UN General Assembly this week, only Naoero, a small Pacific island nation formerly known as Nauru, has moved to follow his call.

US campaign against the court

Trump’s appeal followed an escalating US campaign against the Hague-based court. Washington says the ICC oversteps its authority by claiming jurisdiction over citizens of countries, including the United States and Israel, that have not ratified its founding treaty, the Rome Statute.

The US has imposed financial sanctions and visa bans on court staff. Officials have also prepared sanctions that could undercut the court’s ability to operate, according to sources familiar with the matter.

In July, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio launched a diplomatic push to “dismantle the ICC — brick by brick, if necessary.” He claimed the court posed a threat to American service members and to those carrying out Trump’s deportations of migrants and strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats.

Trump has said the campaign is aimed at protecting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, his then-defense minister and a Hamas military commander over the Gaza war.

Governments respond

The Rome Statute has 125 parties. Although several countries have moved to leave the ICC, many governments, particularly in Europe, have defended it as a cornerstone of international justice.

Netherlands Prime Minister Rob Jetten told the General Assembly on Thursday that the court was “under attack” and at risk, without mentioning the United States. “How can you possibly be opposed to prosecuting the very worst crimes?” he asked. “And I believe there can be only one response. To say: hands off the ICC, and all those other institutions that protect the international legal order.” Delegates applauded loudly.

Since Rubio announced the US campaign, Venezuela and Chad have announced plans to withdraw. Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger announced their exits the previous year, denouncing the court as an instrument of “neocolonial repression.”

Naoero President David Adeang told the General Assembly on Tuesday that his country would formally withdraw from the Rome Statute because of the ICC’s “increasing irrelevance.”