FACT CHECK: No Trump promise to free Duterte from ICC custody

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The Facebook post appears to be satirical in nature, but some social media users interpreted the false claim as fact

Claim: US President Donald Trump promised to help free former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte from the custody of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The post has over 5,000 reactions, 1,100 comments, and 1,000 shares at the time of writing. It features a graphic of Trump and a headline quoting him as saying, “I will save Duterte.” 

The post’s caption reads, “BREAKING NEWS!!! US president Donald Trump promised to help free former President Rodrigo Duterte from ICC.”

Several social media users commented on the post, thanking Trump for supporting Duterte.

The facts: Trump has not promised to help or free Duterte from ICC custody. The post seems to be intended as satire, as it includes a chyron with the text, “Ugly orange old man promised to free Duterte,” and the hashtag, “#thisistotallynotsatire.” The post’s language and the chyron imply that it was not meant to be taken literally.

Still, some users interpreted the post as a real report and praised Trump for allegedly standing up for Duterte. (READ: SATIRE VS FAKE NEWS: Can you tell the difference?)

Duterte’s ICC case: On March 11, 2025, Duterte was arrested under a warrant issued by the ICC. He faces charges of crimes against humanity stemming from the thousands of killings linked to the Philippine government’s war on drugs between 2016 and 2019, as well as extrajudicial executions allegedly carried out by the Davao Death Squad from 2011 to 2016, during Duterte’s tenure as mayor.

These alleged crimes fall within the period when the Philippines was a state party to the Rome Statute, the treaty that formed the ICC, from 2011 until the country’s withdrawal from the ICC took effect in March 2019. The ICC has asserted jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed during this period. (READ: EXPLAINER: What you need to know about ICC’s jurisdiction over Duterte)

Duterte is now awaiting the confirmation of charges hearing set for September, which will determine if the evidence is sufficient to proceed with a full trial.

Trump and Duterte: Neither the White House nor Trump has issued any statement of support for Duterte following the arrest. Rappler has previously debunked false statements attributed to the US president. 

Since Duterte’s arrest, pages and anonymous accounts have circulated false claims, including fabricated quotes and alleged endorsements from local celebrities and even fictional characters. Rappler has published fact-checks for these claims:

• FACT CHECK: No Noli De Castro statement of support for Duterte after ICC arrest
• FACT CHECK: Quote card on Duterte arrest cites fictional lawyer Harvey Specter
• FACT CHECK: No reports of Trump seeking Duterte’s release from ICC

–  Samantha Audrey Evangelista/Rappler.com

Samantha Audrey Evanglista is a Rappler volunteer. They are a third-year BA Communication Research student at the University of the Philippines Diliman.

Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.