‘It was a nice ride’: Anwar accepts Trump’s invitation into presidential limo in M’sia despite protocol rules

Trump invites Anwar Ibrahim for a ride in his presidential limousine

United States (US) President Donald Trump invited Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for a ride in his presidential limousine, “The Beast”, upon arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on Sunday (26 Oct) for the 47th ASEAN Summit.

Mr Anwar accepted the invitation and accompanied Mr Trump to the Kuala Lumpur City Centre, where the Summit and the signing of the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord were held.

Trump breaks protocol to give PM Anwar a lift

At the signing ceremony, Mr Anwar recounted the light-hearted moment, explaining that he had initially declined the offer as it went against security and protocol guidelines.

However, Mr Trump was “delighted to break the rules”.

“We admire your tenacity, your courage, because the world needs leaders who promote peace strongly and to achieve that, you have to break some rules, as you did today,” he said before sharing the story.

Mr Anwar added that “it was a nice ride”, joking that they “share lots of things in common”:

I was in prison, but he almost got there.

Discussion on peace efforts during the ride

On a more serious note, Mr Anwar said he and Mr Trump discussed various issues during their short ride, including the peace deal between Thailand and Cambodia, as well as efforts to secure peace in Gaza and other conflict zones.

“And I am delighted, truly, President, to hear from you personally how determined you are to ensure that peace is achieved in the most intractable areas,” Mr Anwar expressed. “Almost, almost impossible, but you did it.”

Mr Anwar, who currently chairs ASEAN, and President Trump jointly witnessed the signing of the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord, a landmark agreement between Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet.

The accord marks the formal end of months of deadly border clashes between the two countries — the worst in decades — which had claimed more than 40 lives and displaced hundreds of thousands.

Malaysia, with support from the US, helped broker an initial ceasefire on 28 July, paving the way for this historic peace agreement.

Also read: Cambodia & Thailand agree to ceasefire after 5 days of fighting, President Trump takes credit

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Featured image adapted from Anwar Ibrahim on Facebook.