Donald Trump teases 'major statement' on return to US in cryptic tweet

Donald Trump boards Air Force One on his return home to the US from Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, Philippines
REUTERS
Patrick Grafton-Green14 November 2017

Donald Trump has announced he will be making a “major statement” from the White House when he is back in Washington following his Asia tour.

The US President is returning home on Tuesday from the Philippines after completing the final leg of his two-week visit to Asia.

Exactly what he is going to announce is unknown while its exact timing is to be confirmed.

He tweeted: “I will be making a major statement from the @WhiteHouse upon my return to D.C. Time and date to be set.”

Mr Trump visited to Japan, China, South Korea, Vietnam and the Philippines on his tour, which he wrapped up by saying any nation that trades with US knows "that the rules have changed”.

He tweeted: “After my tour of Asia, all Countries dealing with us on TRADE know that the rules have changed.

“The United States has to be treated fairly and in a reciprocal fashion. The massive TRADE deficits must go down quickly!”

He campaigned on shredding multilateral trade agreements he has deemed unfair, insisted during his travels that multi-billion dollar deficits that favour US trading partners will be reduced to zero, and that trade must be fair and mutually beneficial.

Donald Trump visits China - In pictures

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He told reporters before departing: "We've had a tremendously successful trip. Tremendous amounts of work was done on trade."

"We've made some very big steps with regard to trade - far bigger than anything you know," he said, pointing to business deals forged between US and foreign companies.

He added that he had made "many good friends" during the trip which had been "very fruitful" for the US, and highlighted the warm welcomes he received in capitals like Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing.

"It was red carpet like nobody, I think, has probably ever received," Mr Trump said. "And that really is a sign of respect, perhaps for me a little, but really for our country. And I'm really proud of that."

Among Mr Trump's newest friends in the region is Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.

Mr Duterte has overseen a bloody crackdown on domestic drug dealing that has featured extrajudicial killings, coming under fire from human rights advocates as a result.

However Mr Trump did not publicly take him to task for the crackdown.

Instead, he said the pair have "a great relationship" and avoided questions on the subject.

Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders later said human rights came up "briefly" during a private meeting in the context of the Philippines' fight against illegal drugs.

She did not say if Mr Trump was critical of the programme however, and appeared to conflict with the Filipino version of the meeting.

Harry Roque, a spokesman for Mr Duterte, said: "There was no mention of human rights. There was no mention of extralegal killings. There was only a rather lengthy discussion of the Philippine war on drugs with President Duterte doing most of the explaining."

Despite that, the two presidents later issued a joint statement saying they "underscored that human rights and the dignity of human life are essential, and agreed to continue mainstreaming the human rights agenda in their national programs."

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