U.S. diplomats summoned Manila’s envoy this week to discuss inflammatory comments by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who called a U.S. ambassador a “gay son of a bitch” and Secretary of State John Kerry “crazy” during a speech Friday.

Recounting Mr. Kerry’s visit to the country, Mr. Duterte, speaking Tagalog, told troops at the country’s Armed Forces Central Command Headquarters that he was feuding with Philip Goldberg, the U.S. ambassador to the Philippines, CNN reported.

“I was with (incoming defense chief Gen.) Delfin Lorenzana. We talked to Kerry. He was actually OK because I had a fight with his ambassador. I told him: ‘Your ambassador is a gay son of a bitch,’ ” Mr. Duterte recounted. “I was annoyed at him, for interfering in the elections, giving statements here and there. He wasn’t supposed to do that.”

He also called Mr. Kerry “crazy” and suggested that he “offend” him more to get more U.S. aid, CNN reported.

“Kerry came here, we had a meal, and he left me and Delfin $33 million. I said, OK, maybe we should offend them more, so this crazy will just give more money, just to make peace. So, it’s all about the money,” he said.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau said the department on Monday summoned the Filipino chargé d’affaires to “clarify” Mr. Duterte’s remarks.

“We have asked the Philippine chargé to come into the State Department to clarify those remarks,” she said at a briefing, CNN reported.

Philippine foreign affairs spokesman Charles Jose confirmed the meeting but said Manila’s envoy had been “invited to the State Department to discuss the entire breadth of Philippines-US relations,” The Guardian reported.

“Philippine-U.S. relations remain strong,” he told AFP Wednesday.

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