SEPANG – United States President Donald Trump arrived in Malaysia today to attend the 47th ASEAN Summit, marking the first visit by a US president to the country in a decade and his maiden visit to Malaysia.
The US President’s official aircraft, Air Force One, landed at the Bunga Raya Complex, KLIA, at about 10 am, where he was received by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The presidential convoy includes “The Beast”, the state car specially flown in for the visit, which will accompany Trump throughout his stay in Malaysia.
He later departed for the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) to attend the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits, which runs from Oct 26 to 28.
This marks Trump’s maiden official visit to Malaysia and his first participation in an ASEAN Leaders’ Summit since returning to office.
Trump is the third American president in history to visit Malaysia, after Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966 and Barack Obama in 2014 and 2015.
During his first term (2017-2021), Trump attended the 2017 ASEAN Summit in the Philippines but skipped subsequent meetings, raising questions about Washington’s long-term commitment to Southeast Asia.
The last US presidential visit to Malaysia was by Obama in 2015, making Trump’s arrival a diplomatically significant moment as Washington seeks to strengthen ties with Southeast Asia amid intensifying global strategic competition.
The ongoing Asia tour is his first to the region since beginning his non-consecutive second term in January.
The 47th ASEAN Summit, held under Malaysia’s ASEAN 2025 Chairmanship theme of “Inclusivity and Sustainability”, gathers top leaders from the 10 ASEAN member states as well as key dialogue partners, including the United States, China, Japan and India.
Trump is expected to participate in high-level dialogues and witness the signing of the Kuala Lumpur Accord — a landmark peace agreement between Thailand and Cambodia aimed at ending decades of their border dispute.
Anwar has welcomed the visit, describing it as a diplomatic milestone that reflects renewed US engagement with Southeast Asia.
He said Malaysia remains committed to using the summit as a platform to promote dialogue, strengthen partnerships and highlight ASEAN’s strategic importance.
Among other world leaders attending the summit are Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
Cyprus and Finland are also set to join ASEAN as new dialogue partners, marking an expansion of the bloc’s global engagement and cooperative framework.
The summit will also bring together leaders from Australia, the European Union and other strategic partners, underscoring ASEAN’s role as a central platform for dialogue and cooperation amid shifting global dynamics.
The meetings are expected to conclude on Oct 28 with several joint declarations outlining the region’s shared priorities for peace, prosperity and sustainable growth.
This will be Malaysia’s final summit as ASEAN Chair 2025 before handing over the Chairmanship to the Philippines for 2026. – October, 2025