How Malaysian PM Anwar turned risky Trump visit into diplomatic wins for Asean

Anwar and Trump’s personal chemistry paid dividends for an Asean summit often criticised as flat and lacking urgency, observers say

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US President Donald Trump and Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim hold signed documents during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Asean summit in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday. Photo: AFP

Published: 7:00pm, 28 Oct 2025Updated: 9:02pm, 29 Oct 2025

Few were ready for the zinger that followed when Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim leaned into the microphone and said, with a suitably dramatic pause for effect, that he and US President Donald Trump were alike in many ways.

“President Trump and I share a lot in common,” he said, as ears craned towards the lectern for the punchline. One of the overlapping experiences was “that I was in prison”, Anwar added, “and you almost got there”.

The joke landed well, drawing laughter in the room, including from Trump, who appeared to find humour in the reference to his unconditional discharge by a US court after being found guilty of falsifying business records, allowing him to avoid jail time.

Anwar was jailed for a total of 11 years, for convictions he says were politically motivated.

His speech was just before the signing of the so-called Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords, an extended ceasefire deal with Thailand and Cambodia, which officials said Trump had made a condition of his stop in the Malaysian capital.

US President Donald Trump (centre) looks on next to people waving Malaysian national flags before he departs on Air Force One from Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang on Monday. Photo: AFP

It was part of a whirlwind day trip by Trump, characterised by back-slapping and jocular asides, in a visit widely seen as a resounding diplomatic success for Anwar, who danced, joked and signed a trade deal with the mercurial American leader.

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