Marcos, Trump meet as allies tighten grip

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is meeting with United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday at the White House with renewed confidence in the Philippines-US alliance.

Earlier on Monday, Marcos met with key US officials — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and State Secretary Marco Rubio — ahead of his talks with Trump.

During his meeting with Hegseth at the Pentagon — where he was welcomed with an enhanced honor cordon — the US Defense chief praised Marcos’ leadership, calling it “vital to advancing a secure, prosperous, and sovereign Asia-Pacific.”

“I want to thank you, Mr. President, and thank you both for your shared vision that includes leading with courage and determination,” Hegseth told Marcos, adding that the storied alliance between Manila and Washington “has never been stronger or more essential than it is today.”

Hegseth also reaffirmed the US commitment to its Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) with the Philippines amid the heightened tension in the South China Sea, particularly in the West Philippine Sea.

“[T]his pact extends to armed attacks on our armed forces, aircraft or public vessels, including our Coast Guard anywhere in the Pacific, including the South China Sea,” he said.

“As I emphasized at Shangri-La, the Asia Pacific is our priority theater and the United States is committed to achieving peace through strength and is willing to work with all nations who share this desire in the region,” he added.

He continued: “We do not seek confrontation, but we are and will be ready and resolute. We’re proud to support our mutual economic vitality, including your efforts to modernize your armed forces and collective defense.”

Hegseth underscored the “remarkable strides” the Philippines and the US have made since he visited Manila in March — his first trip to the Asia-Pacific region.

“Under President Trump and your leadership, Mr. President, we’ve made rapid progress enhancing real deterrence and upholding a free and open Asia Pacific,” he said, citing the expanded joint military activities and enhanced interoperability.

He pointed to the recently concluded Balikatan exercises — described as the largest and most sophisticated to date — as well as the Philippines’ historic participation in the Talisman Saber drills in Australia.

He also noted that the US is deploying advanced defense technologies, including new missile systems and unmanned platforms, while working to revitalize the defense industrial bases of the two countries.

“Together, we must forge a strong shield of real deterrence for peace, ensuring the long-term security and prosperity of our nations. So I look forward to our discussion today and your meeting with President Trump tomorrow,” he said.

For his part, Marcos highlighted the importance of the MDT between the US and the Philippines, which he said was the “cornerstone” of the relationship between the two countries.

“The United States is our only treaty partner and the Mutual Defense Treaty continues to be the cornerstone of that relationship, especially when it comes to defense and security cooperation,” he said.

Marcos also said the relationship should not stop there and both countries must find ways to “continue to evolve that relationship.”

He said he was “very happy” with the feedback he received from Filipino soldiers participating in the joint exercise with the US.

“When I see the officers who were involved and I speak to the men and women who were involved, they say it was extremely useful. And essentially, we’ve achieved our purpose because they say they learned a lot about how to operate together, not only with American forces, but also with, as you’ve mentioned, forces around the Asia Pacific and down to Australia and even to Canada and all of the other countries that that have been involved,” he said.

“So, it has been a good development and I thank you and the United States government and President Trump for the continuing support that we feel and that we need in the face of the threats that we, our country, is facing. So I’m very happy with the continuing support that you have given us in terms of the modernization of our armed forces,” he added.

The President also highlighted that the two countries are “responding properly” in terms of handling the “changing political geopolitical forces and the political developments around our part of the world.”

“But again, I believe that our alliance, the United States and the Philippines, has formed a great partnership in terms of preserving the peace, in terms of preserving the stability of the South China Sea. But I would even go as far as to say in the entire Indo-Pacific region, and we are always very, very happy to continue to strengthen that relationship,” he said.

Ironclad alliance

Meanwhile, Marcos also met with Rubio, who underscored the importance of the ironclad US-Philippines alliance to maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

“They reaffirmed their shared commitment to deterrence and reinforcing freedoms of navigation and overflight in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific,” US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a readout.

According to Bruce, Marcos and Rubio “discussed efforts to advance the United States’ and the Philippines’ shared prosperity, including through the Luzon Economic Corridor, by strengthening supply chains and delivering economic growth to both countries.”

“The Secretary and President Marcos look forward to maintaining a regular high-level engagement between the United States and the Philippines as friends, partners, and allies, particularly ahead of the 80th anniversary of United States-Philippines diplomatic relations in 2026,” he said.

Marcos was accompanied by Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro, and National Security Adviser Eduardo Año in his meeting with Hegseth at the Pentagon.

Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez and his American counterpart, US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson, were also in attendance.

Marcos arrived at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Sunday afternoon for his three-day official visit to the US.

In an earlier interview, Romualdez said the focal point of Marcos’ visit will be the tariff rate imposed by the Trump administration.

Trump imposed a 20-percent tariff on Philippine goods entering the US, with the measure set to take effect on 1 August.