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Trump Praises ‘Great Relationship’ With Duterte in Pair’s First Meeting

President ignored questions about human-rights abuses in Philippine leader’s war on drugs.

President Donald Trump ignored shouted questions about human-rights abuses as he met with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in Manila on Monday. About 2,000 protesters demanding Trump “go home” were repelled by riot police just a few miles away from where the two leaders met on the sidelines of a major summit in the city. Despite the controversy outside, Trump praised the “great relationship” he said he has with Duterte, who has faced international criticism for his tactics in a drug war that rights groups say has involved thousands of extrajudicial killings. During a brief sit-down with the Philippine leader, Trump did not respond to questions from reporters about human-rights abuses in the country, and Duterte told the crowd the bilateral meeting was not meant to be a press conference. Trump has previously commended Duterte for the “great job” he’s been doing in countering the illegal drug trade.