Following the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro by the United States military, fabricated quotes of U.S. President Donald Trump supposedly promising to rescue former president Rodrigo Duterte from the detention facility of the International Criminal Court in The Hague have circulated online.
Since Jan. 5, Facebook pages and users have been sharing two quote cards featuring a photo of Trump.
One of the graphics bore the official Seal of the United States President and this supposed statement from Trump:
“Like what I did to Venezuelan President Maduro, I will do to Former President Rodrigo Duterte. My troops are ready to pick him up from the ICC Detention Center. I stand with my friend from the Philippines, he did nothing wrong. I’ll have to rescue him whatever it takes. ICC is unfair and unjust, I’ll missile Duterte out. I’ll bring him home!”
The second quote card carried this statement:
“If there’s one thing I believe, it’s standing by allies. President Duterte led his country his way, and I respect that. I will use every diplomatic channel available to help ensure that FPRRD is treated fairly and to push for his release from the ICC. Strong leaders deserve strong support.”
These quotes are fake. Trump has not given any statement related to Duterte’s detention in The Netherlands and the charges he faces before the ICC.
While the U.S. has taken a confrontational stance against the ICC, including imposing sanctions on some of its judges, Trump has not made any official statement about Duterte’s detention under the Court.
There is also nothing on this on Trump’s social media accounts or the White House’s official channels. The same with the U.S. embassy in the Philippines.
The quote cards started circulating two days after the U.S. military captured Maduro and flew him to New York to face multiple charges, among them narco-terrorism, corruption and drug trafficking.
Two days after the arrest, former Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission chairman Greco Belgica, a known Duterte ally, posted an open letter on his FB page asking Trump to help bring Duterte home. This open letter has since been shared by the former president’s supporters.
VERA Files has debunked several fake quote cards attributed to the U.S. President supposedly showing support for Duterte amid his detention in the ICC.
At least 10 copies of the first graphic, uploaded by FB users and pages such as Sara Duterte Today (created on May 23, 2024 as Maisug ATO NI BAI), collectively garnered 1,794 reactions, 388 comments and 323 shares. Three posts of the second quote card also garnered 1,552 reactions, 246 comments, 181 shares.
