U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference at the Landmark Mekong Riverside Hotel in Vientiane, Laos, Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016, after attending the ASEAN Summit.
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Supposed seatmates Obama & Ban both have history with Duterte for their remarks on rampant extra judicial-killings in the Philippines since his reign, to which he responded with insults & threats to leave the United Nations (only a joke, he followed), respectively.
It seems like all is well with President Rodrigo Duterte and United States President Barack Obama. Trump also said Obama’s leadership had demoralized USA military generals.
Asked about Duterte’s profanity against him, Obama said, “I do not take these comments personally, because… this is a phrase he has used repeatedly, including directed at the pope and others”. “I never confronted Obama-I don’t know him-before taking off from Davao”, said the President.
President Barack Obama warned Thursday against becoming immune to Donald Trump’s more outlandish statements, arguing that the stakes of the U.S. presidential contest were too high for Americans to tune out.
The brief meeting took a little sting out of the soured relations caused by Duterte’s intemperate language in referring to Obama earlier this week. Duterte said he had clarified his stance to Obama when they met in Laos.
Reflecting on his worldwide trip, the president took an additional dig at Trump’s preparedness for the job, saying “this is serious business and you have to actually know what you’re talking about”. “Son of a whore, I will curse you in that forum”, Duterte said.
The presidents of the two long-time allies were due to hold talks on Tuesday but the White House cancelled the meeting after Duterte’s insult.
Tensions stemming from a public outburst by Duterte before the summit overshadowed a gathering where Obama sought to focus on his military and economic rebalance to Asia and give reassurances on the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact, which faces a hard ratification process in Congress.
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“I’m very happy that it happened”.
