President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reached out to United States President Donald Trump with a message marking the American leader’s 80th birthday, framing the gesture around the long relationship between the two nations.
In a post shared on Facebook, the Philippine leader wished his counterpart well for the year ahead. “Happy Birthday, President Trump. On behalf of the Filipino people, I wish you good health, happiness and continued success in the year ahead,” Marcos wrote.
The Filipino president went on to characterize Trump’s role on the world stage during what he described as a pivotal stretch for the US. “Your leadership continues to shape the direction of the United States at a consequential moment in its history, while influencing developments and discussions on many of the most pressing issues facing the international community today,” he said.
Marcos closed his greeting by pointing to the future of bilateral relations, voicing hope that the bond between Manila and Washington “will continue to grow stronger in the years ahead.”
Trump, who was born in Queens, New York, in 1946, reached the eight-decade mark on June 14, a date that also coincides with Flag Day in the US. According to Fox News, the milestone makes him only the second sitting American president to turn 80 while in office, following Joe Biden, who crossed that threshold in 2022. When Trump began his current term in January 2025 at age 78, he was already the oldest person ever sworn into the presidency.
The greeting from the Philippine leader was one of many that arrived from political figures around Trump’s birthday. Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly marked the occasion as well, praising the president in a message posted to his official account.
