PETALING JAYA: Excitement is thick in the air, as Donald Trump is expected to land on Malaysian soil tomorrow (Oct 26) - his first visit to our country as US president.
He is expected to arrive in Kuala Lumpur to attend the 47th Asean Summit, which Malaysia is hosting from tomorrow to Tuesday (Oct 26 to 28).
This will make Trump the third US president to arrive on our shores since 1960.
The first president to touch down in Malaysia was Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966, followed by Barack Obama, who made two trips respectively in 2014 and 2015.
Throughout the years, a total of 11 US presidents have made their way to Asean countries, with Obama making the most number of visits to our side of the world.
Check out the interactive graphic below to see the list of presidents and their visits in Asean countries throughout the years.
Click on the photo of each president to see the details.
Obama made a total of 13 trips in the region during his tenure as the 44th US president, based on information from the US Department of State’s Office of the Historian’s website.
In second place is George W. Bush, who had eight visits to various Asean countries.
This is followed by Johnson and William J. Clinton, or more popularly known as Bill Clinton, who each had six visits.
Among Asean countries, the Philippines was the most visited nation by US presidents, as of April 25 this year.
The archipelagic country was visited 10 times, followed by Indonesia and Vietnam which were each visited nine times by US presidents.
As for Trump, he made four visits to South-East Asia during his previous presidential term from 2017 to 2021 - travelling to Vietnam twice, and once each to the Philippines and Singapore.
Selamat datang, Mr President
Trump’s coming trip to Malaysia will be his first visit to the region since being re-elected for his second presidency.
The business mogul turned politician was sworn in as the 47th US president on Jan 20 this year.
Before Trump, two presidents - Johnson and Obama - made their mark in Malaysia.
For Johnson, popularly known as LBJ, there’s literally a special place for him in Malaysia - a Felda settlement in Negri Sembilan which was named after him.
Initially called Felda Labu Jaya, the settlement was renamed Felda LBJ - in honour of Johnson who toured the area on Oct 30, 1966.
It is now known as Kampung LBJ.
The 36th President of the United States had gone there to see rubber trees, which had helped put Malaysia on the world map and to observe how latex was produced.
Johnson even tried his hand at tapping rubber, even though he was in the country for less than 21 hours in a whirlwind tour of the region.
Johnson’s visit to the scheme was also to have a first-hand understanding of efforts taken by the Malaysian government to eradicate poverty among the rural folk.
Fast forward 48 years later, Malaysia received its second visit from a US president when Barack Obama arrived in April 2014.
Obama met with then Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, and took some time to tour the National Mosque and the Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre.
At the mosque, Obama paid his respects at the National Mausoleum where Malaysia's second Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein and other leaders are laid to rest.
In November 2015, Obama, the first African-American to be elected president, made another trip to Malaysia to attend the 27th Asean Summit.
He also attended a town hall meeting with 500 Young South-East Asian Leaders Initiative representatives at the Taylor’s Lakeside University Campus in Subang, Selangor.
Good for all
Trump's appearance at the coming summit in Malaysia is set to be advantageous to both the US and Asean on economic, political and social fronts.
“We can expect Trump to engage with Asean on the controversial tariff issue, which he will be able to explain further to country leaders,” said Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia international law expert Prof Dr Salawati Mat Basir.
She said the trip will also boost agreement, trade relationships and security within the region.
“All Asean countries have ties with the US, so all of us stand to benefit from his visit,” she said when contacted.
East Asian International Relations Caucus co-founder and senior fellow Dr Hoo Chiew-Ping said Trump's visit presents significant diplomatic trade-offs for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's government.
“On one hand, Malaysia faces domestic pressure due to public sentiment on the US's role in Gaza.
“On the other hand, it would mark a diplomatic achievement for Malaysia’s Asean chairmanship to secure both US and Chinese leaders' presence in the same year,” she said, adding that it would demonstrate Malaysia’s relevance and neutrality.
