President Trump dances with performers after arriving in Malaysia
President Donald Trump danced and pumped his fist in front of Malaysian performers as he welcomed Malaysia as the first stop on his Asian tour.
President Donald Trump did a fist-pump dance on October 26th after arriving in Malaysia, the first stop on his Asian tour. The president previously made the dance part of the centerpiece of his 2024 election campaign.
President Trump will participate in the 47th ASEAN Summit to be held in Kuala Lumpur from October 26th to 28th, followed by stops in Japan and South Korea. According to Reuters, while in Malaysia, President Trump will witness the signing of a cease-fire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia, which he claims he helped broker.
After spending several days in Malaysia and Japan, President Trump is scheduled to visit South Korea at the end of his tour on October 30th and meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
President Trump has insisted that a trade deal could be reached with President Xi, but left open the possibility of him leaving the continent without a deal. “I think we’ll come to a deal,” President Trump said on October 20. “They threatened us with rare earths and they threatened me with tariffs.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer met with China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng and top trade negotiator Li Chengang on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, their fifth direct meeting since May.
“I think we have a very successful framework for the leaders to discuss on Thursday,” Bessent told reporters.
U.S. and Chinese officials said they discussed expanding trade, extending the ceasefire, fentanyl, U.S. port fees, rare earths, TikTok and more.
Mr Lee described the talks as “candid” and Mr Bessent said they were “very substantive negotiations”.
President Trump’s travel during government shutdown draws criticism
The visit comes as the U.S. federal government shutdown enters its fourth week with no end in sight. This would threaten SNAP and WIC funding and jeopardize food options for approximately 42 million Americans on November 1st.
Several Democratic lawmakers said President Trump should have called off the trip and remained in Washington to negotiate an end to the government shutdown. At the heart of the weeks-long shutdown is a disagreement between Republicans and Democrats over Affordable Care Act subsidies. Republicans say they won’t debate health care policy as part of their government reopening bill, while Democrats say Congress needs to permanently extend the credit now before state health insurance markets open to the public on Nov. 1.
“Instead of going on a foreign trip, shouldn’t the president be listening to the concerns and dire health care needs of the American people?” Schumer (D-N.Y.) asked Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), who held a talk-a-thon on the Senate floor for more than 22 hours protesting the Trump administration’s policies.
The enhanced tax credit increases subsidies for eligible individuals and expands eligibility to include those with incomes four times the federal poverty level or more. In 2025, that amount will be $62,600 for an individual and $124,800 for a family of four.
If Congress does not act and the credit expires at the end of 2025, out-of-pocket premiums will rise by more than 75% on average, USA TODAY previously reported.
Contributions: Bart Jansen, Saman Shafiq, Kahn, Rebecca Moin, Sarah Wire – US TOD. Reuters
