President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the Philippine Stock Exchange last July 1, 2025 for the bell ringing ceremony, which coincided with the implementation of the Capital Markets Efficiency Promotion Act (CMEPA). Photo from Presidential Communications Office.
By:Â Manuel Mogato | Published: July 19, 2025
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Manila – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr will hold trade and defense talks with US President Donald Trump next week, the first Southeast Asian leader to visit the White House
Foreign Affairs Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro said it was Trump who invited Marcos for a face-to-face meeting at the White House.
“It is President Trump who invited President Marcos to this meeting,” Lazaro told reporters, “The first, if I am correct, among the ASEAN leaders to be invited by President Trump to the White House.”
She said Marcos and Trump will discuss trade and security after Washington slapped a 20 percent tariff this month.
The Philippines is negotiating to lower the tariffs. Earlier, the US imposed a 17 percent tariff on Philippine exports, mostly semiconductors and agricultural products, to the United States.
Local economists say the impact of the tariffs on the Philippine economy could be far-reaching, while also potentially affecting American-based firms that source from the Southeast Asian nation.
Total trade between the two nations exceeded $23 billion, with Philippine firms exporting $14.2 billion worth of goods in 2024.
The two leaders will also discuss security and defense as Washington seeks to deepen and broaden a military alliance with Manila, amid Beijing’s assertive stance in the South China Sea.
The last time a Filipino leader met a US leader was in May 2023 when Manila agreed to expand access to US troops from five to nine locations.
In return, former president Joe Biden promised to transfer to the Philippines four second-hand Coast Guard vessels and three used C-130H transport planes.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr, Trade Secretary Maria Cristina Roque, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año, and Lazaro are joining Marcos on the July 20-22 US visit.
They are expected to hold separate talks with their counterparts.