Trump performs iconic fist-pump dance with Malaysian artists as he starts foreign trip to Asia
President Donald Trump greeted Malaysian dancers with their signature moves as he kicked off his highly anticipated week-long trip to Asia.
As he strutted down the red carpet, beating drums carried him toward local dancers from Air Force One in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur on Sunday morning local time.
After a 23-hour flight from Washington, D.C., Trump, 79, stepped out with clenched fists.
Trump popularized his iconic dance during the 2024 election campaign before defeating Kamala Harris and returning to the White House for a second term.
He was dancing along with a large group of brightly dressed performers. The striking colors they wore represented the country’s major ethnic groups, including Malays, Chinese, Indians, and indigenous peoples from Borneo.
The dancers clapped, swayed and chanted in unison as they performed a traditional routine to welcome Trump to the first stop of his trip, where he will also visit Japan and South Korea, where he will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Trump’s former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon warned that the trip was one of the president’s ‘riskiest’ trips yet.
His meeting with Xi sparked fears of a potentially damaging impact on Americans’ wallets if the two leaders fail to reach a deal amid a bitter trade war.
President Donald Trump greeted Malaysian dancers with their signature moves as he embarked on his highly anticipated week-long trip to Asia.
Trump performed his iconic dance to applause from enthusiastic performers
Artists cheered and warmly welcomed Trump as he arrived in the capital
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim walks alongside Trump as he makes a warm welcome to the Southeast Asian country
‘The Chinese Communist Party has declared open economic war against America, so they call it a ‘throw of the iron dice’. Bannon claimed it was too risky.
An enthusiastic crowd waving American and Malaysian flags applauded during Trump’s enthusiastic arrival. Trump approached the audience, grabbed two flags and posed for photos.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim walked alongside Trump as he made a warm entrance into the Southeast Asian country.
While the US president was greeted with great enthusiasm, protesters also gathered in the city to express their dissatisfaction with Trump’s presence.
Trump embarked on this five-day tour of Asia to broker trade deals across the region.
He has set high expectations for the trip, claiming he will leave his meeting with Xi in South Korea with “a really fair and really great trade deal.”
But he has a few more diplomatic visits to make before meeting Xi.
He attended the peace agreement ceremony between Cambodia and Thailand held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center during the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet signed a ceasefire agreement under Trump’s supervision. BBC.
Just before the agreement was signed, Manet expressed gratitude to Trump for his ‘determined leadership’ in helping bring the agreement to fruition.
Manet said, ‘No matter how difficult and complex the conflict may be, it must be resolved by peaceful means.’
Trump arrived in Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, on Sunday morning local time.
Trump grabbed an American and a Malaysian flag before posing for photos with excited crowds
A crowd holding American and Malaysian flags applauded Trump as he danced
Protesters in Kuala Lumpur march against Trump’s arrival
After the peace agreement was signed, Trump signed a mining agreement with Thailand, as well as trade agreements with Malaysia and Cambodia.
Trump is also preparing to meet with newly elected Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo.
His next stop will be South Korea, where he will speak at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.
Finally, he will conclude his trip with a bilateral meeting with Xi. Trump also stated that he is open to meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the Demilitarized Zone.
The visit followed a week of setbacks in the Trump administration’s foreign policy.
Peace remains tenuous in the Middle East after the Israeli Knesset voted to support the symbolic annexation of the West Bank after the president struck a deal with Hamas earlier this month.
His second meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin failed, leading to the imposition of oil sanctions and tensions with China reaching their highest level in months.
Trump announced plans to increase tariffs on Canada by 10 percent during his flight to Malaysia. He also said he hoped to strike a “comprehensive” trade deal with China.
Trump had a brief meeting with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani when Air Force One took a refueling stop in Doha, Qatar, on Saturday.
Ibrahim applauds as, from left to right, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Trump show documents during the signing ceremony of the ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia
During a brief refueling stop in Doha on Saturday, Trump met with Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani aboard Air Force One.
In addition to his meeting with the Emir of Qatar, Trump also announced that he wants to increase customs duties on Canada while traveling to Malaysia.
Trump warned Hamas would ‘face a huge problem’ if it did not maintain the interim agreement signed with Israel earlier this month; Many fear that this agreement is heading to the brink.
‘The ceasefire will continue. Otherwise, we will fight Hamas very hard,’ said Trump.
Trump also met with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.
“We did a lot together, especially last year… Peace was brought to the Middle East, and they were a huge factor in that,” Trump said to the two Qatari leaders.
Despite concerns voiced by Bannon and other skeptics, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer shared a positive view of Trump’s tour.
Greer and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met with Chinese officials in Kuala Lumpur.
“I think we’re moving into the final details of the type of agreement that leaders can review and decide together whether they want to finalize it,” Greer told reporters. CNN.
‘We had very constructive discussions with our Chinese counterparts. ‘We think we’ve gotten to the point where we have something to offer leaders.’
