After renting a car Sunday morning at Kuala Lumpur International near our home in Malaysia, I tried to grab some breakfast at McDonalds before picking up my family to go to a friend's church across town (we don’t own a car and usually walk to our home church).
The McDonalds entrance, however, was blocked by a uniformed lady police officer, waving me on down the highway. Other nearby pull-offs were also blocked in a similar way. “Huh” I thought. “There must be another Head of State coming in for the ASEAN Summit, and they seem to be clearing the way.”
President Trump, I had read, was scheduled to land at an Air Force Base in Subang, on the opposite side of the huge city, so it couldn’t be him they were preparing for. I picked up my wife and daughter, and we made our way to church, taking advantage of an unblocked McDonalds on another highway.
There was a bit of a buzz at the Malaysian Chinese Church. Everyone was seemingly aware that Trump was arriving about that time and would soon be at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center (KLCC) just a little over two miles away. At one point the pastor told me with a big smile that Malaysians were very proud of their country and honored to have President Trump visit them.
After church, I was surprised to see on X that Trump had actually landed at Kuala Lumpur International just a little after 10 a.m., and was indeed the reason I had just been blocked from eating at McDonalds a few hours earlier! Trump was cordially welcomed to Malaysia back at the international airport down the road from our apartment, where I had just rented my car that morning. All while we were at church.
As we were eating lunch with a group after church, a now viral video began to surface of Trump dancing on the tarmac. Another video was posted from his motorcade, headlined by “the Beast”, making its way down one of the expressways near our home to the ASEAN Summit near downtown.
I was surprised to see some spectators out along the route, taking pictures and waving the flags of both countries (the Malaysian and American flags look strikingly similar). It turns out that Trump’s motorcade had passed within a half mile of the church right during the service!
During lunch, we mentioned that we were hoping to take two of our friends (visiting from Thailand) to the famous mall (Suria KLCC) that is not only directly under the famous Petronas Towers, but is also next door to the Convention Center (KLCC) where Trump was to be in meetings all day. One of the ladies discouraged us from driving because supposedly “all the roads were closed.” We decided to try anyway.
I looped around downtown, passing within a block of the US Ambassador’s Residence (where Trump would later spend the night), and we entered unopposed into the half-mile long tunnel that leads directly to the underground parking garage at Suria KLCC. I was pleasantly surprised to find it as empty as I’d ever seen it!
Entering the mall from below, I remembered the long underground walkway connecting the mall with the Convention Center. It, too, was surprisingly open, and we headed on over, planning to wander as close to the festivities as were allowed.
We started seeing lots of people with ASEAN badges on, and at the end of the main walkway, had to go through a simple metal detector and security screening. I also noticed some American guys looking for food who had to be (by their look) some sort of US military or Secret Service.
We arrived in the Food Court in the basement of the Convention Center, went tentatively up the steps, and found ourselves directly into the middle of all the fun outside the main entrance to the Convention Center, where Trump was meeting with ASEAN leaders.
Police and security were everywhere, tourists lined the streets out front with phones and cameras looking to get a picture with any passing motorcade. We could see some “important people” going in and out of the main entrance, through an additional security check which we were not allowed to use. I was surprised that they let us get this close, but we just stood there by the entrance, watching and taking some pictures. My wife even got a selfie with one of the Muslim police ladies next to us.
Alas, we didn’t see Trump, but he was doubtless somewhere inside the Convention Center just next to us, along with his substantial entourage. However, we did see the Brazilian convoy drive by right in front of us, along with (I assume) their leftist president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Before heading back through the walkway into the Mall, I decided to do one more thing. Over ten years ago my wife and I had stayed at the Grand Hyatt for our anniversary, and the back entrance was right next door, just a few feet away. The “Sky Lobby” of the Grand Hyatt, thirty-nine floors up, would give us a great view of the city.
We walked over, trying not to look awkward, as a combination of well-dressed diplomats and security personnel meandered about all around. At least we were wearing “church clothes” and looked somewhat presentable. I had hoped that we would be moving away from the security perimeter in the Hyatt, but we ended up right in the thick of it. Another security check to get in the door, and then staff to guide us through the various barriers to and from the elevators. The Korean delegation was all over the Grand Hyatt.
Up on top in the Sky Lobby, things were a bit more relaxed than back on the Ground Floor, and we did indeed see much of the city from one of the most prominent locations in Kuala Lumpur. Merdeka 118, the second tallest building in the world, was clearly visible out one side of the 360 degree windows, as well as the Petronas Twin Towers (on top of the Suria KLCC Mall where we were parked), the Kuala Lumpur Tower, and The Exchange 106. Overall, it was a beautiful day with clear skies, and even the large resort at Genting Highlands was clearly visible through gaps in the towering skyscrapers high in the mountain range northeast of the city.
According to the official White House X account, President Trump accomplished quite a lot during his 24 hour visit to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia:
Let me break these “accomplishments” down one by one, giving just a little more insight into what they mean and how important (or not) they actually are:
First, Trump did indeed oversee the signing, along with Malaysian leaders, of what is being called the “Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords” between Thailand and Cambodia, helping to resolve a long-standing border dispute that re-erupted earlier this year. Time will tell if the peace treaty holds up, but it seems Trump used the leverage of new trade deals to help forge a truce.
This was likely listed first by the White House because, for Trump at least, it was the primary purpose of his visit. According to one report, his attendance at this year’s ASEAN Summit was contingent upon this ceasefire agreement being signed with him at the helm (and the Chinese out of the picture).
Second and third, the trade deals between Cambodia and Thailand were contingent upon the Peace Accords being signed, as Trump likely used these as leverage in negotiations. The trade and other mineral deals signed with Malaysia and Vietnam are part of the U.S. strategy to strengthen ties with southeast Asia and build an economic buffer against the Chinese, who are also vying for power in the region.
Fourth, Trump was received so graciously by the Malaysians in part because of the trade deal they had been working on all week, as Treasury Secretary Bessent was already in Malaysia working out the details. The White House shared a graphic on X late on October 26th, highlighting the wins from the U.S.-Malaysia deal, which focused on “lowering non-tariff barriers for American exporters.” Similar language was used to describe all of the other trade deals made during Trump’s visit.
As an American missionary residing in Malaysia, Trump’s 24 hour visit appears to have been a rousing success. The relatively secular Muslim government of Malaysia seems to prefer peace and prosperity to war and anti-American rhetoric. Early reports of potential protests turned out to have been overstated. The few hundred who did gather for a few hours near Merdeka Square and elsewhere seem to have been mostly pro-Gaza apologists, of which the majority-Muslim nation of Malaysia has many.
And Malaysia’s Christians, of whom there are many among the native Chinese and Indian populations (+/- 35% of the country), are very similar culturally and politically to the traditional American Right, including their general support for Israel and the United States, which is still seen as a “Christian nation” in a broader pagan (or Muslim) world.
That being said, most of what President Trump accomplished in Malaysia could be superficial, or temporary. Hopefully the cease-fire holds, but just like the Israel-Hamas conflict, it would not be very surprising if tensions continue to flare up. And the finer points of the trade deals are fairly vague, lacking the immediate power to make a substantial impact on any of the nations involved.
In conclusion, arguably the greatest achievement of Trump’s visit to Malaysia is the relative absence of China from the entire scene. That is a huge victory for the United States in a region in which Communist China looms large. If the relationships Trump is building in southeast Asia remain steady, this could prove to be the greatest blessing of his brief visit.
