‘The world hates us,’ says Donald Trump

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has said the world hates the United States, citing countries such as the Philippines which are aligning themselves with US adversaries.

“The world hates our president,” Trump told his supporters Friday in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. “The world hates us. You saw what happened with the Philippines after years and years and years; they’re now looking to Russia and China, because they don’t feel good about the weak America.”

During a diplomatic visit to China on Thursday, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared “a separation from the United States both in military but economics also.”

“I mean, I realigned myself in your ideological flow and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to [President Vladimir] Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world: China, Philippines and Russia,” Duterte was quoted as saying in a transcript of his speech.

Trump said such foreign policy declarations underscore America’s weakness on the world stage.

“America has grown weak, so weak that the Philippines have broken with decades of pro-American foreign policy to instead leave for the orbit of China and Russia,” the real estate tycoon said. “Why is Obama campaigning? He ought to be out working.”

According to US media reports, Duterte clarified his statements on Friday by saying that his country’s foreign policy “need not dovetail” with that of the US.

The White House said Duterte has made too many troubling statements which have created “unnecessary uncertainty” over the Philippines’ ties with the US.

“We’ve seen too many troubling public statements from President Duterte over the last several months,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters on Friday.

The US has long considered its relations with the Philippines as one of its most stable in Southeast Asia.

US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russell is traveling to Manila this weekend to talk to Philippine officials.