Many traditional U.S. allies and partners have struggled to find their footing with the new administration. But the Philippines is one of the few to navigate the second Trump era without significant fallout. The Philippines’ efforts to defend its maritime rights and sovereignty in the South China Sea—also a vital interest of the United States in its strategic competition with China—have helped drive deeper U.S.-Philippines ties across four U.S. administrations. In addition, deep institutional, economic, and especially people-to-people ties between the two countries have provided resiliency even during times of strain in the alliance, as with former President Rodrigo Duterte’s tenure during the first Trump administration.
The second Trump administration, now paired with the much friendlier government of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr., has made a consistent effort to support the Philippines from the start. In January, Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s first call with a Southeast Asian counterpart was to then-Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo to discuss issues in the South China Sea. The Philippines was the destination for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s first visit in Asia. And in February, the United States exempted $336 million of foreign military financing for the Philippines from President Trump’s aid freeze. Collaboration in defense continues to expand, with the United States exploring a joint ammunition manufacturing and storage facility at Subic Bay.
The strong, uninterrupted relationship was most recently on display during President Marcos’ two-day trip to Washington, D.C., from July 20 to 22. Marcos’s visit was the first trip by an Association of Southeast Asian Nations head of state in the second Trump administration. He met with President Trump as well as business executives and other senior U.S. government officials, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Rubio. Hegseth emphasized the United States’ commitment to the U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty and the importance of the Indo-Pacific as a priority theater for the United States. Marcos also stressed the importance of the U.S.-Philippines alliance, but also focused on the vital economic relationship, committing to strengthening supply chains and supporting the Luzon Economic Corridor.
Most importantly, Marcos was warmly received by Trump, who called him a “great leader” and a “tough negotiator.” He also welcomed the Marcos administration’s pivot back toward the United States. Without explicitly naming former president Duterte, Trump mentioned that the Philippines’ past “tilt” toward China was “not good for [it].” Despite Trump’s praise, President Marcos secured only a minor reduction in the U.S. tariff rate on Philippine goods during his visit, from the 20 percent threatened at the start of July down to 19 percent. That is still higher than the initial rate of 17 percent that the White House had declared in April. Under those original rates, the Philippines would have been substantially advantaged compared to its neighbors, all of whom (except Singapore) faced much higher tariffs. That prospect diminished before Marcos’s visit, by which point Vietnam had already negotiated its tariff rate down to 20 percent, followed by Indonesia at 19 percent. The Philippine government was likely further disappointed after Marcos’s trip when, on August 1, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Thailand also had their tariff rates set to 19 percent.
The full details of the trade framework have yet to be released, though the Philippines has committed to removing tariffs on U.S. automobile imports while increasing imports of U.S. soy products, wheat, and pharmaceuticals. The United States remains a major trade partner for the Philippines and is its largest export market. That the government secured only a marginal improvement in the tariff rate, however, has prompted backlash from some Philippine lawmakers about the imbalance in the two countries’ trade relationship.
As a result, the Philippine government has deemphasized the details of the trade agreement, focusing instead on the more positive advances it has seen in the diplomatic, military, and commercial relationships with the United States. For instance, President Marcos had significantly more success with U.S. businesses during his trip, claiming $21 billion in investment pledges from major companies in key sectors such as infrastructure, semiconductors, and renewable energy. After his meeting with Rubio, the Department of State announced that the Philippines would be granted $60 million in foreign assistance funding in support of energy, maritime, and economic growth programs, including $15 million to support private sector development in the Luzon Economic Corridor. This was the first announcement of new foreign assistance funding for any country since the Trump administration began its review of overseas aid in January.
The administration’s embrace of the Philippines stems in part from the strategic and economic importance of the alliance. But it also seems to be colored by Trump’s personal goodwill toward the country, his relationship with President Marcos and his family, and the significant number of Filipino Americans who voted for him in 2024. Trump remarked to Filipino reporters in the Oval Office that they were “lucky to be from the Philippines.” Nothing is certain under the second Trump administration, but the president’s personal favor for the Philippines, combined with enduring people-to-people ties, relatively balanced trade, and deep security cooperation, may make for a uniquely positive and stable partnership for the remainder of the years ahead.
Japhet Quitzon is an associate fellow with the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.
