Philippine President to Meet Trump Over Trade Deal

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will meet with President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday for bilateral talks focused on security and trade.

Before departing for the Philippines on Sunday, Marcos—the first Association of Southeast Asian Nations leader to visit Trump since he returned to the White House in January—said the meeting builds on progress made in the first six months of Trump’s second administration.

“My visit to Washington, D.C., and most importantly, my meeting with President Trump, is essential to continuing to advance our national interests and strengthening our alliance,” Marcos said in a statement.

“During this visit, we will reaffirm our commitment to fostering our long-standing alliances as an instrument of peace and a catalyst of development in the Asia-Pacific region and around the world.”

Marcos, who last visited the White House in 2023 to meet with President Joe Biden, listed increased trade and investment as priorities for the Philippines.

“I intend to convey to President Trump and his Cabinet officials that the Philippines is ready to negotiate a bilateral trade deal that will ensure strong, mutually beneficial and future-oriented collaborations that only the United States and the Philippines will be able to take advantage of,” he said.

He also plans to meet with business leaders committed to investing in his country, according to a statement from his office.

With trade between the two countries totaling about $23.5 billion in 2024, the United States has a trade deficit of about $5 billion with the Philippines, following a nearly 22 percent increase from the previous year, according to data from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

Topics of interest for the United States are expected to include regional security and economic negotiations, with 20 percent tariffs on products from Southeast Asian set to take effect on Aug. 1.

The roots of the alliance between the two Pacific nations date to the 1946 Treaty of Manila, when the United States formally recognized the Philippines as an independent nation following World War II. The 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty set the tone for a security partnership that leaders are now seeking to strengthen.
Marcos met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday.

According to statements from the State Department and the Department of Defense, the two countries are strengthening ties amid tensions in the South China Sea, where the Chinese communist regime is threatening regional and economic interests with aggressive posturing.

Hegseth said the allies will work together to achieve peace using a strategy of strength, noting that the South China Sea and the Asia-Pacific region are a priority for the U.S. military.

“The United States is committed to achieving peace through strength, and willing to work with all nations who share this desire in the region,” he said in a statement. “We do not seek confrontation, but we are and will be ready and resolute.”

Military readiness includes “deploying new cutting-edge missiles and ... unmanned systems, and revitalizing our defense industrial base” as part of the country’s long-term strategy, Hegseth said.