“How’s Imelda?” Trump asked the Philippine leader when they first spoke in November, according to an official familiar with the call, sending his regards to the onetime first lady of the Philippines and a fellow cultural figurehead of the 1980s and 90s.
Trump has long placed a premium on family ties and genetics as a measure of people’s value, including for foreign leaders and members of his staff. He appeared to be impressed in the lead-up to Tuesday’s meeting with Marcos Jr.’s connections to an infamous period in Philippine history, according to a person familiar with the matter.
