PHILIPPINE leader Rodrigo Duterte is working on his own impression of President-elect Donald Trump.
In a speech in Manila on Wednesday night, Duterte imitated Trump’s voice and accent while recalling their telephone conversation on December 2. He said that Trump wanted to fix “bad relations” with the Philippines stemming from President Barack Obama’s criticism of his deadly war on drugs.
“If you listen to how Trump talks to me now, I have already turned into a saint,” Duterte said in a speech at the presidential palace. By contrast, he said, Obama pictured “the Philippines–well of course, including me–to be murderers and everything.”
Duterte’s latest comments indicate that ties between the security allies may improve under Trump. The Philippine leader in October announced a shift in foreign policy toward China while telling Obama to “go to hell” for opposing his drug war, which has killed thousands of alleged dealers and users.
Impersonating the real-estate mogul, Duterte said Trump told him: “You’re doing great. I know what’s your worry about these Americans criticizing you. You are doing good, go ahead.”
Duterte said that Trump used curse words in describing a “problem in the border of Mexico and America.”
“When you come to Washington DC or New York City, look me up and we’ll have coffee,” Duterte said, impersonating Trump. “And maybe you can give me a suggestion, one or two how to solve this goddamn, son of a bitch.”
Trump, who went on Twitter to publicize his phone call with Taiwan’s leader last week, has yet to comment on his conversation with Duterte. In an interview with Time magazine, which named him Person of the Year, Trump didn’t object to a reporter who mentioned that he echoed Duterte’s rhetoric in denouncing crime by foreign-born assailants.
“Well, hey, look, this is bad stuff,” Time quoted Trump as saying. “They slice them up, they carve their initials in the girl’s forehead, OK. What are we supposed to do? Be nice about it?”
Trump has criticized Alec Baldwin’s impression of him on Saturday Night Live, saying on Twitter that it “just can’t get any worse. Sad.”