Secretary of State Marco Rubio has declared his intention to "dismantle the ICC — brick by brick, if necessary," following remarks by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani suggesting his administration would explore arresting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits the city for UN week in September.
Mamdani, speaking to The New York Times, characterized Netanyahu as a "war criminal" charged by the International Criminal Court. Rubio countered that the ICC's involvement with American military and law enforcement operations would undermine U.S. sovereignty. "This is America... Independence is our birthright. We don’t intend to trade it for rule by a self-appointed priesthood of ‘international law,’ " Rubio stated.
According to the Post, Mamdani's stance is viewed as a reflection of the Democratic Socialists of America's (DSA) broader agenda. The publication asserts that the DSA aims to import foreign conflicts and ideologies contrary to American principles, with the ultimate goal of a communist revolution in the United States.
The article alleges that figures associated with the DSA, including Mamdani and Gustavo Gordillo, have backgrounds that contradict their political stances. Gordillo, born in Peru, reportedly told Fox News that his family fled Peru due to "capitalism and American imperialism," despite leaving during the Maoist Shining Path's reign. Similarly, Mamdani, born in Uganda, and others with families fleeing socialist or authoritarian regimes are suggested to have an appreciation for American freedoms that their current political aims do not reflect.
Rubio, speaking at a State Department conference on combating left-wing violence, warned of a "poisonous old ideology" seeping into America. Representatives from 67 countries attended the conference, which Rubio stated was to rally global support against resurgent far-left political terror groups like Antifa. He described radical leftism as driven by "a poisonous resentment cloaked in the language of equality and justice and liberation, an overwhelming need to tear down what greater men have built."
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also addressed the conference. Miller suggested that the outward appearance of individuals involved in violent demonstrations reflects inner hatred. Bessent outlined plans to disrupt the financial networks supporting left-wing terrorism, noting that "Societies are rarely subverted from afar until they have first been weakened from within."