Donald Trump says Vladimir Putin ‘absolutely did not’ interfere with America’s 2016 presidential election

RIOT police have used water canons to prevent hundreds of angry protesters reaching the US embassy in Manila before the arrival of Donald Trump.

US President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin at the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Vietnam. Picture: AFP

RIOT police have used water canons to prevent hundreds of protesters reaching the US embassy in Manila, just a few hours before the arrival of President Donald Trump in the Philippines for a regional summit and the last leg of his Asia tour.

Carrying placards declaring “Dump Trump” and “Down with US Imperialism”, the left-wing protesters were blocked by police in riot gear with shields and batons, and then showered with jets of water from a fire engine.

“Trump is the CEO of the imperialist government of the US, said 18-year-old student Alexis Danday after the protesters were scattered.

A protester pushes a police as they are dispersed while trying to get near the U.S. Embassy in Manila. Picture: AP

Protesters scuffle with police. Picture: AP

“We know he is here to push for unfair treaties between the Philippines and the US.” Trump was expected to arrive in the Philippines at around 8pm (AEDT) for meetings with leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other East Asian nations, fresh off an Asia-Pacific summit and bilateral visit in Vietnam.

The Philippines will be Trump’s last stop on a marathon tour that has taken him to Japan, South Korea, China as well as Vietnam.

Trump will meet Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in Manila, where he will try to shore up relations strained by the mercurial Duterte’s notorious anti-US sentiment.

The group is protesting against the visit of Donald Trump. Picture: AP

TRUMP: PUTIN FEELS ‘VERY INSULTED’

Trump brushed off allegations that Russia interfered in the 2016 American election, and implied he would take Vladimir Putin’s word on the matter more seriously than the opinions of some US intelligence officials.

“They’re political hacks,” Mr Trump said of the former CIA director John Brennan, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, and former FBI chief James Comey, who have said that the evidence of Russian meddling is clear.

US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Russia's President Vladimir Putin as they pose for a group photo ahead of the APEC Summit leaders gala dinner in the Vietnamese city of Danang. Picture: AFP

“You have Brennan, you have Clapper and you have Comey. Comey’s proven now to be a liar and he’s proven to be a leaker. So you look at that,” Mr Trump said. “And you have President Putin very strongly, vehemently says he had nothing to do with that.”

The US president made the comments to the media pack at the APEC Summit in Vietnam, where he came face-to-face with Russian president Putin.

“He said he didn’t meddle. He said he didn’t meddle. I asked him again. You can only ask so many times. But I just asked him again, and he said he absolutely did not meddle in our election. He did not do what they’re saying he did.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump at the APEC Summit. Picture: AP

When a reporter asked “Do you believe him?” Mr Trump responded:

“Well, look, I can’t stand there and argue with him,” Mr Trump said. “I would rather have him get out of Syria, to be honest with you. I would rather … get to work with him on the Ukraine rather than standing and arguing about whether or not — because that whole thing was set up by the Democrats.”

“Every time he sees me he says, ‘I didn’t do that,’ and I really believe that when he tells me that, he means it,” Trump said on the flight from Da Nang to Hanoi.

“I think he is very insulted by it, which is not a good thing for our country.”

Mr Trump also said Hillary Clinton wouldn’t have as much success as he expects to have in dealings with Russia.

Mr Trump says he believes Mr Putin when he denies Russia interfered with the US election. Picture: AP

“Hillary had her stupid reset button that she spelled the word wrong, but she does not have what it takes to have that kind of relationship where you could call or you could do something and they would pull back from North Korea, or they would pull back from Syria, or maybe pull back from Ukraine.”

“Having a relationship with Russia would be a great thing — not a good thing, it would be a great thing,” he said.

President Trump was heading to Hanoi, Vietnam after Friday’s Asia-Pacific Summit meeting, where he and Mr Putin spoke informally.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is at the summit with other world leaders in Vietnam. Picture: AP

This article originally appeared on the New York Post and has been republished here with permission.