Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is no stranger to strong language.
The outspoken former mayor, who became president in June, has found popular support in his straight-talking, politically incorrect strongman image. He has made no secret of his frustration with President Obama's criticism of his trademark fight against drugs, which is estimated to have killed about 3,000 suspected drug dealers and users, and has used strong language on multiple occasions against the Philippine's most powerful ally.
But comments he delivered in a speech on Tuesday included some of his most explicit anti-US rhetoric yet, indicative of the increasingly tense relations between the two allies. The remarks come as US and Filipino forces are cooperating in amphibious military drills in the country. Mr. Duterte has said that the drills will be the last during his presidency, though he has not yet made any moves to support that rhetoric, according to US officials.
The US has been vocal in objecting to Duterte's violent crackdown on drug trafficking in the Philippines. Concerns about extrajudicial killings in the region and probable human rights abuses by Duterte supporters have earned the president many enemies on the international stage.
