On Monday, President Obama scrapped a meeting scheduled for Tuesday with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, after Duterte said he would call Obama "putang ina," a Tagalog phrase meaning "son of a bitch" or "son or a whore." On Tuesday in Laos — where Obama and Duterte are both attending a regional summit — Duterte said in a statement read by a spokesman that his "strong comments" have "elicited concern and distress, we also regret it came across as a personal attack on the U.S. president." He described the canceled meeting as mutually postponed, and said, "We look forward to ironing out differences arising out of national priorities and perceptions, and working in mutually responsible ways for both countries."
Saying you regret if your impolitic insult was consorted as a personal attack isn't really an apology, The Associated Press notes, but "the expression of regret is a rare instance when the tough-talking former mayor has expressed contrition for his remarks that often slide into profanity." Duterte has also sworn at Pope Francis and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, for example. Duterte's outburst was sparked by a question over Obama's stated intention to talk to the Philippine president about due process, following the death of more than 2,000 suspected drug dealers and users since Duterte took office at the end of June.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
'"Andor" examines all sides of how empires operate'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
DHS chief Kristi Noem's purse stolen from eaterySpeed Read Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's purse was stolen while she dined with family at a restaurant in Washington, D.C.
-
Harvard sues Trump over frozen grant moneySpeed Read The Trump administration withheld $2.2 billion in federal grants and contracts after Harvard rejected its demands
-
DHS chief Kristi Noem's purse stolen from eatery
Speed Read Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's purse was stolen while she dined with family at a restaurant in Washington, D.C.
-
Trump stands by Hegseth amid ouster reportsSpeed Read The president dismissed reports that he was on the verge of firing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over a second national security breach
-
Hegseth reportedly shared war plans in 2nd group textSpeed Read The defense secretary sent information about an attack in Yemen to a Signal group chat that included his wife and brother
-
Judge threatens Trump team with criminal contemptSpeed Read James Boasberg attempts to hold the White House accountable for disregarding court orders over El Salvador deportation flights
-
Biden slams Trump's Social Security cutsSpeed Read In his first major public address since leaving office, Biden criticized the Trump administration's 'damage' and 'destruction'
-
El Salvador refuses to return US deporteeSpeed Read President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador said he would not send back the unlawfully deported Kilmar Ábrego García
-
Trump says electronics tariff break won't lastSpeed Read The tariff exemptions on smartphones, laptops and other electronic devices are temporary, the administration says
-
Man charged in arson attack on Pennsylvania's ShapiroSpeed Read Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were sleeping when someone set fire to his Harrisburg mansion
