Philippine leader will welcome Trump as an ‘important leader’

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday said he would welcome President Trump as an “important leader” and listen to what he has to say when the U.S. president visits the country on his first trip to Asia since taking office. 

“I would deal with President Trump in the most righteous way, welcome him as an important leader,” Duterte said, according to Reuters.

Duterte said he expects the two to discuss terrorism and the country’s controversial drug war, which has seen a spate of extrajudicial killings over the past 16 months that have drawn global criticism. 

{mosads}“It would be terrorism, cooperation between the two countries, the fight against drugs. I expect to be dealing with him around these topics,” he said. 

Duterte’s comments come before the president is set to embark on his trip to Asia on Nov. 3, in which he will make stops in Japan, South Korea, China and Vietnam, as well as Manila. 

The Philippines’ leader has made bombastic comments about Trump’s predecessor, President Obama, warning Obama not to question him about extrajudicial killings during a meeting and telling him, “son of a bitch, I will swear at you in that forum.”

Obama responded by saying, “Clearly he’s a colorful guy.”