Claim: US President Donald Trump made public statements through various news outlets condemning former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest over a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: The claim has been widely shared on Facebook, particularly among Duterte supporter pages. The alleged statements appear in quote cards bearing the names and logos of reputable media outlets such as The Washington Post, The New York Times, Fox News, and BBC News.
One such quote card attributed to The Washington Post has received over 1,700 reactions and 4,500 shares. Another quote card, supposedly from The New York Times, has garnered 1,100 reactions and 3,900 shares. The Fox News version has 17,000 reactions and 6,300 shares, while the one attributed to BBC News has accumulated 41,000 reactions and 84,000 shares.
In these posts, Trump allegedly expressed sadness over Duterte’s arrest and admiration for the former president, referring to him as a “good friend.” Some of the quote cards mentioned Trump calling on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to expedite Duterte’s release, while other versions suggest that Trump would impose sanctions on the Marcos administration in response to Duterte’s arrest.
Many social media users commented on these posts, thanking Trump for his support. One user wrote, “Please do help our PRRD be back in the Philippines,” while another commented: “To the US President Donald J. Trump, a thousand thanks for showing your support to our most beloved, honored, respected, and most admirable FPRRD.”
The facts: The quote cards are fake. There is no record of Trump making any public statements regarding Duterte’s arrest.
A thorough review of the official social media accounts and public statements by Trump and the White House reveal no such remarks as of this writing. Additionally, upon checking the official websites and social media pages of The Washington Post, The New York Times, Fox News, and BBC News, none of these outlets have published any such statements from Trump.
The images used in the posts appear to have been edited to imply Trump’s support for Duterte, imitating the quote card formatting styles used by known news outlets. Furthermore, the page that published the supposed BBC News quote card is a Filipino satire page.
Duterte and the ICC: On March 11, Duterte was arrested following an ICC warrant for alleged crimes against humanity linked to his war on drugs. He is now officially in the custody of the international tribunal to stand trial.
In response to Duterte’s arrest, the Chinese government, through its foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, stated that the ICC should “exercise its functions and powers prudently in accordance with the law and prevent politicization and double standards.”
Trump, meanwhile, has been a strong critic of the ICC. In February 2025, he reinstated sanctions on ICC officials to stop investigations into US citizens and US allies such as Israel. These sanctions prevent ICC staff from doing business with Americans and bar them from entering the US.
The US president has previously praised Duterte’s handling of the drug war back in 2017.
Other fact checks: Rappler has published similar fact-checks related to Trump and the ICC:
- MISLEADING: ‘Trump congratulates Duterte for 40% down in drugs’
- FACT CHECK: No ICC ruling acquitting Duterte in drug war killings
- FACT CHECK: Duterte named in ICC documents on Philippine drug war case
- FACT CHECK: ICC has imprisoned individuals convicted of grave int’l crimes
- FACT CHECK: ICC probe ongoing, no ‘guilty’ verdict issued vs Duterte
– Cyril Bocar/Rappler.com
Efren Cyril Bocar is a student journalist from Llorente, Eastern Samar, enrolled in English Language Studies at the Visayas State University. A managing editor of Amaranth, Cyril is a graduate of the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship of Rappler for 2024.
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