Duterte defiant after insulting Obama, E.U.

Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte is not backing down from vitriol he spewed yesterday toward the United States and the European Union, both of which have expressed alarm over his controversial campaign against his country’s drug trade. Duterte first told U.S. President Barack Obama he could “go to hell,” then told European leaders they had “better choose purgatory, hell is filled up.” The brash leader, often compared to Donald Trump, is known for making off-the-cuff, outlandish comments he sometimes backpedals. On Tuesday he visited a synagogue to apologize to members of the Filipino Jewish community for comparing his anti-drug campaign to Hitler’s Holocaust. But he has so far refused to soften his tone toward international critics, even going so far as to say he might “break up” with the United States. U.S. officials downplayed Duterte’s rhetoric, noting the Philippine government has not made any request to change their bilateral cooperation with America.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.