Trump Sanctions ICC: ‘Threatens To Infringe Upon The Sovereignty Of The United States’

On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), stating that the ICC “engaged in illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel.”

Neither the United States nor Israel recognizes the court or is a member. “The ICC has, without a legitimate basis, asserted jurisdiction over and opened preliminary investigations concerning personnel of the United States and certain of its allies, including Israel, and has further abused its power by issuing baseless arrest warrants targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant,” the executive order stated. “The ICC has no jurisdiction over the United States or Israel, as neither country is party to the Rome Statute or a member of the ICC. … The ICC’s recent actions against Israel and the United States set a dangerous precedent, directly endangering current and former United States personnel, including active service members of the Armed Forces, by exposing them to harassment, abuse, and possible arrest.  This malign conduct in turn threatens to infringe upon the sovereignty of the United States and undermines the critical national security and foreign policy work of the United States Government and our allies, including Israel.”

Trump warned allies of the U.S., “The United States unequivocally opposes and expects our allies to oppose any ICC actions against the United States, Israel, or any other ally of the United States that has not consented to ICC jurisdiction.  The United States remains committed to accountability and to the peaceful cultivation of international order, but the ICC and parties to the Rome Statute must respect the decisions of the United States and other countries not to subject their personnel to the ICC’s jurisdiction, consistent with their respective sovereign prerogatives.”

“Thank you, President Trump, for your bold ICC Executive Order,” Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on X. “It will defend America and Israel from the anti-American and antisemitic corrupt court that has no jurisdiction or basis to engage in lawfare against us.  The ICC waged a ruthless campaign against Israel as a trial run for action against America. President Trump’s Executive Order protects the sovereignty of both countries and its brave soldiers. Thank you, President Trump.”

Thank you, President Trump, for your bold ICC Executive Order. It will defend America and Israel from the anti-American and antisemetic corrupt court that has no jurisdiction or basis to engage in lawfare against us.

The ICC waged a ruthless campaign against Israel as a trial…

— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) February 7, 2025

In November 2017, ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda asked for authorization to investigate alleged crimes by U.S. armed forces in Afghanistan. “Bensouda’s office ‘determined that there is a reasonable basis to believe that members of the Afghan National Security Forces, the US armed forces and the CIA had committed ‘war crimes,’” CNN noted. In March 2020, the ICC granted permission for the investigation. “This is a truly breathtaking action by an unaccountable political institution masquerading as a legal body,” former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reacted. The Trump administration sanctioned Bensouda and the court’s head of jurisdiction, Phakiso Mochochoko, in September 2020.

In early January, House Republicans passed the Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act, introduced by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast (R-FL) and Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) to sanction the ICC. “I don’t care if you are a terrorist in a cave or a lawyer at the Hague, if you get in the way of bringing American hostages home, then you will be given no quarter and you damn well shouldn’t expect to be welcomed on American soil with open arms,” Mast stated.

“This is an entity, the international criminal court, that has no jurisdiction over the people of the United States, should have no authority over our people, no authority over the Prime Minister of Israel, yet is extending into the people of Israel’s business in defending their interests against violent attack by Hamas, which we define as a terrorist entity,” Roy added.

In late January, Democrats in the Senate blocked Republicans from passing a measure sanctioning the ICC; the bill got 54 votes, with all Republicans and Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) voting for it, but it needed 60 votes to pass.