US President Donald Trump has called on all countries that belong to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to withdraw from the tribunal, accusing it of targeting American personnel and declaring that Washington will not accept its authority.
Speaking during the 81st United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, Trump described the ICC as a “rogue institution” and said the United States would not allow its service members or other Americans to face investigations or trials before the court.
“The United States is equally opposed to the out-of-control institution known as the International Criminal Court,” he said.
“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 here.”
Trump went further, directly calling on the 125 countries that are members of the ICC to leave the court.
“I call on all nations that are members of the ICC to officially resign from this rogue institution immediațely,” he said.
The call has particular relevance for Kenya, where former President Uhuru Kenyatta and his successor, President William Ruto, were both indicted by the ICC in 2012 over the 2007-08 post-election violence.
The cases later collapsed in 2014 and 2015 amid claims of witness interference and evidence tampering, leaving the court's role in Kenya's political affairs a contested issue.
Trump's remarks came as Ruto used his own UNGA 81 address to call for changes to international institutions rather than abandoning them.
Ruto argued that Africa's main challenge is not a lack of money but a global financial system whose rules disadvantage the continent, while also renewing calls for permanent African representation on the UN Security Council.
The positions presented by the two leaders at the UN were different, with Trump calling on countries to leave the ICC while Ruto pushed for changes to the international system to give Africa a stronger voice.
Kenya has its own experience with the ICC, but Trump's call for member states to quit the court comes as Ruto's UNGA agenda focuses on strengthening Africa's position within multilateral institutions.
Trump also used his 25-minute address to issue a warning over Iran, putting the possibility of a deal against military action that he said could “annihilate” the Islamic Republic.
“Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before, maybe one of the greatest in the Middle East or even the world? Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again?” he said.