Donald Trump said Monday in the Philippines that he will make a ‘major’ announcement on Wednesday at the White House about trade agreements and other diplomatic progress made during a ‘fruitful’ 12-day tour of Asia.
The president didn’t offer any specifics but said there had been ‘some very big steps with respect to trade, far bigger than anything you know.’ He cited ‘about $300 billion in sales’ to nations including China.
‘It will be a very complete statement as to trade, as to North Korea, as to a lot of other things,’ Trump promised.
Trump also gushed about how his Asian hosts have welcomed him as one of their own, touting his red-carpet receptions as unprecedented.
President Donald Trump, accompanied by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, right, told reporters Monday in Manila, Philippines that he will make a ‘major’ announcement Wednesday about the results of his Asia trip
Trump’s day in Manila began with a tradition opening the Association of South East Asian Nations summit – a cross-armed group handshake that the president had a little trouble mastering
‘The way they’ve treated us – the respect that Japan and China and South Korea in particular, because we went there – have treated us has been really a great respect for the people of our country, the people of the United States,’ he said. ‘And we very much appreciate it, I will say that.’
‘It was red carpet like nobody, I think, has probably ever received. And that really is a sign of respect – perhaps for me a little bit, but really for our country. And I’m very proud of that.’
The president spoke to reporters along with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe after the three men sat down for a trilateral meeting.
‘A lot of things are happening on trade and I’ll be announcing pretty much what happened here and also with other meetings, including with China, South Korea and lots of other places,’ Trump said.
He complained that the U.S. has ‘[trade] deficits with almost everybody. Those deficits are going to be cut very quickly and very substantially.’
Trump had his three-way meeting with his Japanese and Australian counterparts in advance of a more controversial bilateral sit-down with Filipino strongman Rodrigo Duterte, who is hosting the annual ASEAN meeting
The president also joked that he would schedule Wednesday’s announcement so bleary-eyed reporters would have a chance to rest when the marathon diplomacy tour is over.
‘We’ll probably do that on Wednesday. We’ll give you a chance to sleep,’ he told journalists.
‘Because – the press, I have to tell you, I’m very impressed. You stayed with us. You were able to hang in there,’ he said. ‘I’m very proud of you.’
Trump and other world leaders are in the Philippine capital of Manila to attend an Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit.
As with previous stops in Japan, South Korea, China and Vietnam, Trump has made a point in Manila of underscoring his ‘America first’ trade agenda.
When he ran for president, Trump was openly hostile to the idea of multilateral trade deals like the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership, which he withdrew America from after taking office.
Trump wore a traditional Filipino ‘Barong Tagalog’ to Sunday night’s gala held in honor of heads of state who traveled to Manila for the ASEAN summit
On Friday, officials from the other 11 TPP countries announced the completion of a trade pact that excluded the U.S.
They include Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.
The White House has added a dinner with Turnbull to Trump’s Monday schedule.
His relationship with the Australian leader began on a frosty note with a tense phone call about an Obama-era pledge that the U.S. would accept thousands of Aussie refugees.
A huffed Trump hung up the phone on Turnbull, according to a transcript of the call that was later leaked to reporters.
In May at the White House, Trump kept him waiting for nearly three hours while he held an impromptu Rose Garden photo-op with congressional Republicans, who had just passed a House bill repealing the Obamacare medical insurance law.