Marco Rubio Delivers Speech Slamming Global Institutions: ‘Stop Quoting Laws to Men With Swords’

A warning invoking Pompey

Rubio used a story about the Roman commander Pompey to make his case against the International Criminal Court. He said the same response Pompey gave people citing their city’s charters would apply to efforts to enforce the court’s rulings on U.S. citizens.

“Stop quoting laws to men with swords,” Rubio said. The line drew laughter, and he joked that it was not politically correct.

Enforcement and political attention

The court has no police force and depends on member nations to arrest people it indicts, the Associated Press reported. The United States is not among those member nations.

The address was Rubio’s first major speech at home since Republicans suffered heavy losses in this month’s midterm elections. The crowd gave him a standing ovation, and his appearance before a prominent legal audience prompted speculation about a 2028 presidential bid.

Closing appeal to national identity

Rubio framed the dispute as a question of national identity in his closing remarks. He warned against submitting to what he called the vision of radical judges and global bureaucrats.