US President Donald Trump ridiculed the International Criminal Court on Friday, joking that the Hague-based tribunal was not targeting him “for now” as Washington escalates its campaign against the institution.
Trump made the remark during a cabinet meeting at Camp David, interrupting Secretary of State Marco Rubio as he reiterated the administration’s opposition to the court.
“By the way, there is no indication that they are targeting me,” Trump said.
He added that several people being pursued by the ICC should not be considered legitimate targets, pointing to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been subject to an arrest warrant issued by the court since 2024.
“But there is no indication that I am one of them at the moment,” Trump said, prompting laughter from those in the room.
The remarks came as the United States intensifies diplomatic and economic pressure on the ICC, accusing it of threatening American officials and allied leaders.
Washington launched a broad campaign against the court in mid-July, warning of further sanctions and urging member states to withdraw from the institution.
Relations between the Trump administration and the ICC have deteriorated sharply, with the United States already imposing sanctions on several of the court’s judges.
Established in 2002, the ICC prosecutes individuals accused of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and other serious international offences when national authorities are unwilling or unable to act.
Rubio described the court as an “illegitimate international organisation” and accused its officials of refusing to listen to Washington’s objections.
“We tried to convince them to change their position and listen to us, but they refused. They are extremely arrogant,” Rubio said.
He claimed that five countries had either withdrawn or were preparing to leave the court and predicted that others would follow.
The United States and Israel are not members of the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC. Chad and Venezuela have recently announced plans to withdraw from the court.
