FACT CHECK: No reports of Trump wanting to talk to Dela Rosa

The video offers no evidence that US President Donald Trump intends to talk to Senator Ronald dela Rosa, who remains in hiding following the issuance of an ICC arrest warrant against him

AT A GLANCE

• Claims that US President Donald Trump intends to speak with Senator Ronald 'Bato' dela Rosa are false and unsupported by credible evidence.
• Dela Rosa is currently the subject of a manhunt due to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity during the Duterte drug war.
• There is no documented interaction between Trump and Dela Rosa, and the senator remains at large despite a reward for information leading to his arrest.

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Claim: US President Donald Trump wants to talk to Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who is the subject of an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: A Facebook reel posted on November 6 by the page Sayon Giovan shows a man speaking in Bisaya beneath an inset image of Trump and Dela Rosa. 

The overlay text reads, “Senator Bato dela Rosa kakausapin ni President Donald Trump!” 

(President Donald Trump will speak with Senator Bato dela Rosa!)

The man in the video says: “Mao diay nga ipadakop nilag dali-dali si Bato. Kay presidente sa US makigtabi ni Bato. Kuyaw gani si Bato itabi niya tanan og unsay mga porima diri sa Pilipinas mga idol. Ana diay na mga idol mao diay ipadakop nilag madali idol, hala.” 

(That’s why they’re rushing to arrest Bato. Because the US president will sit down with Bato. It’s dangerous if Bato tells him all the problems here in the Philippines, idols. So that’s why they’re having him arrested quickly, idol.)

As of writing, the video has 532,000 views, 250 comments, and 1,100 shares.

The facts: No credible news report, White House statement, or public remark from Trump shows that he intends to speak with Dela Rosa. The video provides no source or evidence for its claim.

Dela Rosa remains in hiding and is currently the subject of a manhunt stemming from an arrest warrant issued by the ICC. The tribunal’s Pre-Trial Chamber I issued the warrant confidentially on November 6, 2025, and unsealed it on May 11, 2026. 

Dela Rosa is alleged to be responsible for the crime against humanity of murder between July 3, 2016, and the end of April 2018, in connection with the bloody drug war of former president Rodrigo Duterte, who is currently in ICC custody. 

Trump and Bato: The only documented appeal by Dela Rosa to Trump was in April 2025, when the senator urged the US president to impose sanctions on Filipinos involved in Duterte’s transfer to the ICC. Trump did not respond to this, nor did this establish that Trump wanted to meet or speak with Dela Rosa. (READ: Dela Rosa teases Trump to punish Filipinos who aided Duterte ICC arrest)

A September 18 fact check by Rappler also found no credible report, government statement, or public remark from Trump showing that Dela Rosa was supposedly under US protection or in American custody. It also found no documented interaction between the two.

Manhunt for Bato: On October 23, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla announced a P50-million reward for information leading to Dela Rosa’s arrest and gave the senator one week to surrender. The deadline expired on October 30, after which the Philippine National Police (PNP) said it would intensify its search.

On October 26, Malacañang defended the bounty as part of a legitimate operation by the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the PNP. Dela Rosa’s lawyer, Israelito Torreon, questioned the reward’s legal basis and argued that authorities should produce an arrest warrant issued by a Philippine court.

Dela Rosa remains at large. On November 9, PNP chief Police General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said authorities had received at least 500 tips about the senator’s possible whereabouts and are conducting operations to verify the information in order to have an arrest before the year ends. – Cyril Bocar/Rappler.com

Efren Cyril Bocar is a journalist from Llorente, Eastern Samar who graduated with a degree in English Language Studies at the Visayas State University. Cyril is also a graduate of the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship of Rappler for 2024. 

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