Trump Invites Rodrigo Duterte to the White House -
By MARK LANDLERAPRIL 30, 2017
WASHINGTON — President Trump on Saturday invited the president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, to the White House, embracing an authoritarian leader who is accused of ordering extrajudicial killings of drug suspects
and who crudely disparaged Mr. Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama.
A spokesman for Mr. Duterte, Ernesto Abella, confirmed the White House invitation, saying
that Mr. Trump had expressed “his understanding and appreciation of the challenges facing the Philippine president, especially on the matter” of drugs.
A version of this article appears in print on April 30, 2017, on Page A18 of the
New York edition with the headline: Trump Invites Duterte to Visit White House.
Mr. Trump had a “very friendly conversation with Mr. Duterte,” according to a statement issued by the White House late Saturday.
Mr. Trump’s embrace of the Philippine leader comes a week after Mr. Trump called to congratulate President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey for his victory in a disputed referendum that cemented his autocratic rule.