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The Honorable^[1]
Surangel Whipps Jr.
The Honorable Surangel Whipps Jr.
	Whipps in 2022
10th President of Palau
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 21 January 2021
Vice President	Uduch Sengebau Senior; Raynold Oilouch (elect)
Preceded by	Thomas Remengesau Jr.
Member of the Senate of Palau
	In office; 2008–2016
Personal details
Born	9 August 1968 (age 56); Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Political party	Independent
Spouse	Valerie Whipps (m. 1999)
Children	4 (3 daughters and 1 son)
Parent(s)	Surangel S. Whipps (father); Marilyn C. Whipps (mother)
Relatives	Mason Ngirchechebangel Whipps (brother); Thomas Remengesau Jr. (brother-in-law); Thomas Remengesau Sr. (father-in-law; deceased)
Education	Andrews University (BS); University of California Los Angeles (MBA)

Surangel Samuel Whipps Jr. (born 9 August 1968)^[2] is a Palauan businessman and politician, who has served as the president of Palau since 2021.^[3] He served as senator from 2008 to 2016.^[3] He is from the State of Ngatpang.^[1] Whipps assumed office as the President of Palau on 21 January 2021.^[4]^[5]

Early life and education

Whipps was born in Baltimore, Maryland,^[6] to Surangel Whipps Sr. and an unknown mother who was born in Maryland. He is of Palauan and American ancestry.^[6]

He has a degree in Business Administration and Economics from Andrews University and an MBA from University of California, Los Angeles.^[7] In addition, he heads a chain of Palauan supermarkets.^[8]

He ran against his brother-in-law, President Thomas Remengesau Jr., who was running for re-election, in the 2016 Palauan general election.^[9] Remengesau received 5,109 votes while Whipps won 4,854 votes.^[10]

Personal life

Whipps married Valerie Esang Remengesau in 1999; the couple has four children.^[11]

Tenure

Whipps ran for president in the 2020 presidential election and defeated Vice President Raynold Oilouch^[3]^[12] in a campaign in which he stressed tax reforms and the creation of additional sources of revenue.^[13] In an interview with The Guardian, then President-elect Whipps Jr. made the statement that Palau would more strongly oppose the actions of the Chinese government including illegal fishing and trespassing in Palauan waters as well as vowing to maintain the country's recognition of Taiwan.^[8] In addition, he proposed to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine amongst Palau's population, with an emphasis on healthcare workers.^[14]

During the COP26 meeting in Glasgow, Whipps said, "We are drowning, and our only hope is the life-ring you are holding", strongly criticizing world powers in his speech.^[15] On 28 September 2022, on the occasion of the state funeral for Shinzo Abe, Japan's former Prime Minister, in Tokyo, Whipps was one of only seven heads of state who had meetings with the Japanese Emperor Naruhito.^[16]

In October 2022, President Whipps visited Taiwan for the second time in his presidency. He arrived in Taiwan on 5 October and was welcomed by President Tsai Ing-wen when he stepped off the plane.

President Whipps serves on the advisory council of the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue University, which is dedicated to accelerating the innovation and adoption of trusted technology to advance freedom.^[17]

In the 2024 Palauan general election, Whipps Jr. was re-elected for a second term. He earned 5,626 votes, defeating former president Thomas Remengesau Jr. who received 4,103.^[18]