United States (US) President Donald Trump arrived in Malaysia on Sunday (26 October) to attend the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur.
During the event, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim shared a light-hearted exchange with Trump ahead of the signing of the Cambodia-Thailand joint peace agreement.
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and President Donald Trump
“I’ve been to jail, and Trump nearly did too”
Anwar reportedly joked that he and Trump had quite a few things in common, including the fact that he had been to jail while Trump almost was.
For those who may not know, Trump was convicted of falsifying business records in a hush money case, but the judge granted him a conditional discharge, meaning probation for the first offence, followed by potential jail time and fines, according to Politico.
According to China Press, Anwar made the remarks while he and Trump were witnessing the signing of the “Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord” by Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet.
“Trump and I have a lot in common. I’ve been to jail, and he almost was. But we had a great discussion on many topics,” he said.
“Sometimes leaders need to bend the rules to strive for peace”
Anwar shared that he had the chance to discuss other matters with Trump when the US president invited him for a ride in his presidential limousine, “The Beast“.
“When he arrived, he invited me to ride in his car. I told him it was against security rules, but he was more than happy to break them. It was a pleasant ride. We truly admire your resilience and courage, as the world needs leaders who strive for peace, and sometimes, to achieve that, you have to break a few rules,” Anwar said.
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