US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson is confident that the US-Philippine relations will continue to be robust whoever wins the 2024 presidential race between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump.
“I am extremely confident that the US-Philippine relations will remain steadfast, ironclad allies, and partners for prosperity no matter who wins the election in the United States today,” Carlson said on Wednesday in Manila.
Carlson highlighted that there has been very strong bipartisan support in the US when it comes to bilateral relations with the Philippines regardless if the incumbent administration is a Republican or a Democrat.
“My counterpart, Babe Romualdez, has been in the United States for eight years now. He has been through a Trump presidency; he’s been through a Biden presidency. He says that he’s confident that there is bipartisan support,” Carlson said.
“And I echo those sentiments. We have been through lots of transitions in my 39 years in the State department. I have witnessed transitions from Republican to Democrat, and back and forth,” she added.
Carlson cited defense and military support of the US, emphasizing that the Philippines and the Indo-Pacific remain at the forefront of its interest regardless of the sitting president.
“And when you look at the foreign military financing and the support for the US-Philippine military relationship, it is as many Republicans as Democrats who are enthusiastically supporting the US-Philippine alliance,” she explained.
“I think when you look at the latticework of relationships that have been built up, not just over this current administration, but before, remember when you think about the security situation here in the Indo-Pacific, it was under the Trump administration that Secretary of State (Mike) Pompeo came out and lent credence and support to the arbitral ruling that weighed in favor of the Philippines with regard to access and rights at Ayungin Shoal, for example,” Carlson added.
Apart from the Philippines, Carlson noted that US relations with its allies—such as South Korea, Australia, and Japan—continue to “stand the test of time” despite the nuances and changes of a possible administrative transition.
