Possible meeting of the minds: Trump invites Duterte to White House
A meeting between two of the world’s most polarizing leaders may soon happen at the White House as U.S. President Donald Trump invited the country’s tough-talking President Rodrigo Duterte during the 30th ASEAN Summit.
In a statement, the White House said Trump spoke with Duterte via phone last April 29 (April 30 in Manila) inviting the latter to “discuss the importance of United States-Philippines alliance.” Duterte, however, was unable to commit to a specific date due to prior engagements.
Other matters the two leaders talked about were regional security concerns within Southeast Asia and the country’s current fight against illegal drugs. In particular, they talked about the threat posed by North Korea as tensions rise between Pyongyang and Washington.
Duterte earlier asked Trump not to go to war against North Korea “because my region will suffer immensely – the first fallout would be us and Asia, very near, very dangerous,” during a press conference held after the 30th ASEAN Summit.
The White House defended the invite, saying the call was entirely about North Korea, and that “There is nothing right now facing this country and facing the region that is a bigger threat than what’s happening in North Korea,” White House chief of staff Reince Priebus told ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.” This Week is a Sunday-morning discussion program on politics.
This is the second time both leaders have spoken to each other over the phone. Duterte called Trump late in 2016 after his victory in the U.S. Presidential Elections was announced. Trump is set to visit the country on November for the 31st ASEAN Summit.
Source: The White House, Reuters, CNN Politics, CNN Philippines, New York Times, ABS-CBN News
