Trump rejects suggestion that Mamdani could arrest Netanyahu during UN visit

“We’re not talking about a personal assessment of Benjamin Netanyahu,” Mamdani said. “We’re talking about the International Criminal Court and the fact that they have a warrant out for this prime minister’s arrest, and I think it’s important to talk about the weight that that has as a charge, and that also, as the mayor of New York City, I’ll be following the laws of New York City.”

Although Trump, a longtime Netanyahu ally, has recently publicly disagreed with the Israeli prime minister over their policy aims in the Middle East, he staunchly defended the leader against Mamdani’s threats.

“The only ones that should be arrested are the people that led Iran into this unprecedented SPIRAL OF DEATH AND DESTRUCTION, something that should have been dealt with years ago, by previous Presidents!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio outlined a plan to isolate the ICC last week, saying it undermines the U.S.’s interests.

“As we speak, the ICC and its friends are waging a war against our country, not with bullets or missiles, but with statutes, compacts, and the force of so-called international law,” Rubio said.

Rubio said the Trump administration would begin to dismantle the ICC “brick by brick, if necessary.” Part of the administration’s frustration with the international court reportedly stems from its arrest warrant for Netanyahu.

Trump and Netanyahu have had a close relationship during each of their times in office, but it has also been mired with heat and disagreement at points, with Axios reporting in early June that Trump called his Israeli counterpart “crazy” on a phone call. The report brought a spotlight to their relationship in recent months, but Trump stood by his friend, with whom he went to war against Iran in February, against the New York City mayor.

Trump has also staunchly criticized the ICC throughout his term. The ICC’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu charges him with allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity, which Netanyahu strongly opposes.

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Mamdani has ridiculed Netanyahu throughout his campaign and time as mayor, calling him a “war criminal,” as the mayor has stood vocally against Netanyahu’s actions in Gaza.

Netanyahu dismissed Mamdani’s threats during a recent radio interview, saying he thinks the New York City mayor “hates America.”