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Mahathir urges Anwar to withdraw Trump's invitation to 2025 Asean summit in M'sia
"A man like Trump, no matter how powerful he may be, has no place in Malaysia," Mahathir stressed.
September 28, 2025, 03:31 PM
The hands of U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration are "stained with the blood of innocent Palestinian children", said former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad as he called for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to rescind Trump's invitation to the 2025 Asean Summit.
In a speech uploaded on Facebook, Mahathir pointed out that European nations have taken the step to formally recognise the state of Palestine, a stand that is contrary to the position of Donald Trump's Administration.
"Malaysia cannot remain silent"
Mahathir said that this sends a "clear and powerful message" that the genocide perpetrated by Israel against the Palestinians is unacceptable.
"The U.S. and Trump have been a central enabler of the genocide carried out by Israel against the Palestinians, with nearly 70,000 people killed, including 20,000 children, since October 2023," Mahathir said.
"This atrocity, the massacre of the Palestinian people and children, [has] been defended and sustained by the U.S. and Trump, as demonstrated by repeated use of the veto to block ceasefire resolutions and the deliberate obstruction of humanitarian aid to Palestine."
Mahathir said that the people in Palestine are not only killed by bombs and weapons today, but are also "killed with starvation that has been deliberately created and imposed as a weapon of war".
Mahathir stressed that "Malaysia cannot remain silent".
"Criminal and murderer of children"
He called on Anwar to "take a firm and visible stand against the atrocities committed by Israel with the support of the U.S.", as it is a "profound moral obligation".
"We must demonstrate and clearly, unequivocally to Israel and the U.S. that, despite our size, Malaysia stands firmly and vocally against their injustice and oppression," said Mahathir.
Mahathir urged the government to revoke Trump's invitation to the Asean summit, which is chaired by Malaysia.
He said that withdrawing the invitation to Trump will send a "clear message" to the U.S. President that he is a "criminal and a murderer of children".
Trump "has no place in Malaysia"
According to Mahathir, Trump has "openly supported and enabled the crimes against humanity currently inflicted by Israel upon the Palestinian people".
Mahathir also said that the U.S. continues to supply Israel with funds, weapons, and military assistance to perpetuate the killings of the Palestinian people.
"The hands of Trump and his administration are stained with the blood of innocent Palestinian children. Worse still, they actively prevent any effort to restrain Israel from committing mass killings and the destruction of Gaza," said Mahathir.
"A man like Trump, no matter how powerful he may be, has no place in Malaysia," Mahathir stressed, as he ended his message.
Rejection of Trump's visit to Malaysia
Ahead of the Asean summit in October, some Malaysians have expressed their rejection of Trump's visit to Malaysia.
They hung a cutout of the U.S. President upside down in front of the U.S. embassy.
Trump expected to attend Asean summit
In August, Anwar announced that four prominent world leaders are expected to attend the 47th Asean Summit in October, two of whom are United States President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The summit is scheduled to take place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
As the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) convened this week, many countries, including UK, Australia, Canada, and Portugal, have taken the step to recognise a Palestinian state.
Currently, 157 UN members have taken the steps to recognise a Palestinian state.
Top image via Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad/Facebook and The White House/Facebook
