--- title: Philippines Resort World: Trump Calls It a Terror Attack description: President Donald Trump on Thursday called the violence in the Philippines a “terror attack” shortly before police there said it wasn't canonical: https://time.com/4802477/president-donald-trump-philippines-terror-attack-resort-world-casino/ author: Abigail Abrams article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-06-01T22:41:38.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T11:00:49.767Z article:section: Politics og:title: Trump Called Philippines Violence a Terror Attack. Local Police Say Otherwise og:description: Police said it was likely a robbery og:url: https://time.com/4802477/president-donald-trump-philippines-terror-attack-resort-world-casino/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte06e755cba0df6bf/6988cfe00b72e31a616ee12d/donald-trump-paris-agreement-philippines-attack.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: President Donald Trump Makes Statement On Paris Climate Agreement og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Trump Called Philippines Violence a Terror Attack. Local Police Say Otherwise twitter:description: Police said it was likely a robbery twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte06e755cba0df6bf/6988cfe00b72e31a616ee12d/donald-trump-paris-agreement-philippines-attack.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # President Trump Called the Philippines Violence a Terror Attack. Local Police Say Otherwise > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Abigail Abrams](https://time.com/author/abigail-abrams/) ## Abigail Abrams Jun 1, 2017 10:41 PM UTC  President Donald Trump announces his decision for the United States to pull out of the Paris climate agreement in the Rose Garden at the White House June 1, 2017 in Washington, D.C. President Donald Trump announces his decision for the United States to pull out of the Paris climate agreement in the Rose Garden at the White House June 1, 2017 in Washington, D.C. Win McNamee—Getty Images by [Abigail Abrams](https://time.com/author/abigail-abrams/) ## Abigail Abrams Jun 1, 2017 10:41 PM UTC President Donald Trump on Thursday called the violence in the Philippines a “terror attack” shortly before police there said the [shooting incident at a casino complex](http://time.com/4801912/manila-philippines-resorts-world-explosion/?xid=homepage) was likely the result of a robbery attempt. The President’s comments came before his announcement that the United States will withdraw from the [Paris climate agreement](http://time.com/4801134/paris-agreement-withdrawal-donald-trump-rose-garden/?xid=homepage). “We are closely monitoring the situation,” Trump said in the White House Rose Garden. “But is really pretty sad what is going on throughout the world with terror. Our thoughts and our prayers are with all of those affected.” Minutes after Trump’s remarks about the Philippines, police on the ground contradicted him. The Philippine national police chief Gen. Ronald Dela Rosa said the incident involved a lone gunman who may have been trying to rob gamblers at the resort in Manila, according to the [Associated Press](https://apnews.com/10d4a728cd4242249aa643c71c0a3dab?utm%5Fcampaign=SocialFlow&utm%5Fsource=Twitter&utm%5Fmedium=AP). Dela Rosa said there was no indication of terrorism. > [](https://twitter.com/AP/status/870372841048428544) Trump, however, indicated otherwise to his audience. The President was briefed on the situation before entering the White House Rose Garden to make his remarks, Press Secretary Sean Spicer told TIME on Thursday. Trump was “going off initial reports,” Spicer said of the President’s reference to terrorism. “They briefed him that the media was reporting that ISIS was claiming responsibility.” A Filipino operative for ISIS did take responsibility in the immediate aftermath of the attack, [according to the AP](http://time.com/4801912/manila-philippines-resorts-world-explosion/?xid=homepage), but police cast doubt on those links. This is far from the first time Trump has made comments about an attack before full information was available. He is known for reacting quickly to incidents with claims of terrorism, often before authorities have determined a motive. Trump made similar comments last year before information was known about the [EgyptAir flight MS804](https://newrepublic.com/minutes/133602/donald-trump-jumped-conclusions-egyptair-flight-ms804) and about the [explosion in New York City](http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ny-nj-bombings/how-trump-clinton-reacted-new-york-city-bombs-n650116) last fall. _With reporting from Zeke J. Miller._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4802477/president-donald-trump-philippines-terror-attack-resort-world-casino/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4802477/president-donald-trump-philippines-terror-attack-resort-world-casino/"},"headline":"President Trump Called the Philippines Violence a Terror Attack. 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