Rubio defends Trump withdrawal from 66 international orgs as rejection of ‘outdated’ multilateralism

Published January 10, 2026 6:48pm ET



Secretary of State Marco Rubio has defended President Donald Trump‘s withdrawal from a myriad of international organizations, saying they are exemplary of an “outdated” multilateralism largely funded by U.S. taxpayers.

Trump issued a memorandum earlier this week titled “Withdrawing the United States from International Organizations, Conventions, and Treaties that Are Contrary to the Interests of the United States.” The memo withdraws the United States from over 60 organizations, some of which are affiliated with the United Nations, with Trump determining they run “contrary to the interests” of the U.S.

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