Illustration by Rene Elevera
The US president cut a dashing figure when he turned up in a Barong Tagalog, as did other heads of state, at the glitzy gala dinner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit last Sunday night.
He even acted the part of the host when he repeatedly raised his glass during the toast, unconsciously upstaging President Rodrigo Duterte.
On his prodding, Mr. Duterte even crooned a Filipino favorite, “Ikaw.”
Back in Washington, Mr. Trump trumpeted his five-nation swing through Asia as “tremendously successful,” and crowed that US-Philippine relations were back on track, thanks to his “great relationship” with “President Duarte.”
Mr. Trump, however, blew his chance at pressing Mr. Duterte on human rights violations and extrajudicial killings when they sat down for a bilateral meeting.
US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the trip a “flop.”