A transcript of the phone call between President Trump and controversial Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte was leaked to The Washington Post and The Intercept.
The full transcript, which was made by the Philippine government, has been posted online with no redactions and shows Trump congratulating Duterte on doing an “unbelievable job on the drug problem.”
But as Guy reported earlier this month, Duterte’s crackdown on suspected drug dealers has been brutal, with executions, death squads and Duterte himself saying he would “be happy to slaughter” millions of drug addicts.
According to the Post, “a senior Trump administration official acknowledged that the transcript is accurate but declined to speak on the record about “a leaked document from a foreign government.””
Trump then turned to the issue of North Korea.
“What’s your opinion of him, Rodrigo?” Trump asked, inquiring whether Kim Jong Un is “stable or not stable?”
“He is not stable, Mr. President as he keeps on smiling when he explodes a rocket. He has even gone against China which is the last country he should rebuke,” Duterte replied. “But it seems from his face he is laughing always and there’s a dangerous toy in his hands which could create so much agony and suffering for all of mankind.”
Trump said the only good news was that Kim Jong Un “doesn’t have the delivery system” because all of the rockets keep crashing.
He then pivoted to China.
“I hope China solves the problem. They really have the means because a great degree of their stuff comes through China. They are doing certain things, like not accepting calls. But if China doesn’t do it, we will do it,” Trump said.
The two ended the conversation discussing a visit to the Oval Office before November.