President Trump was ready to dance as he came off Air Force One in Kuala Lumpur for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, with a little peace agreement signing planned on the side.
The guy's hilarious.
#WATCH | Diplomacy on the dance floor! President Trump joins traditional Malaysian dancers in a joyous, viral moment at the ASEAN Summit.#KualaLumpur #TrumpDance pic.twitter.com/hfRA7cAV27
— ET NOW (@ETNOWlive) October 26, 2025
The Thais and the Cambodians signed what neither side is exactly willing to call an 'end of the war' agreement, but representatives of both agree that none of it would have ever happened without Donald Trump sticking his nose into the middle of it.
...But what does the "Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord", as Trump has renamed it, actually amount to?
Remember, both countries signed a ceasefire back in July.
That, too, was helped - or at least accelerated - by pressure from Trump.
...The two countries have agreed to withdraw their heavy weapons from the disputed border and to establish an interim observer team to monitor it.
They have a new procedure for clearing landmines, and will set up what they call a joint taskforce to address the proliferation of scam centres.
They will replace missing border markers with temporary ones.
This is progress - and Thai diplomats have told me they do feel Trump's involvement may help these agreements stick.
It seemed as if the president only stuck around for a few meetings and photos, but what he did secure set the stage for his upcoming Japan leg.
While at the ASEAN summit, Trump moved potential critical mineral partners for the United States onto our side of the board to complement deals he already had in progress.
...The first stop on Trump’s first visit to Asia since returning to office was Malaysia, where he attended the Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit. Malaysia received a trade agreement in exchange for several investment pledges to the United States and a commitment to reducing tariff barriers on U.S. goods.
Part of that agreement is a memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Malaysian governments on critical minerals, with the two countries announcing they would work together to “open up alternative markets for critical minerals” and “help diversify global critical mineral supply chains.”
...Thailand was the second ASEAN country with which Trump signed a critical minerals deal during his Asia trip, even as the two countries continue negotiations to finalize their framework trade agreement.
...Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also used critical minerals as a fast-track into Trump’s good graces, signing a deal during his October visit to Washington that will give the United States greater access to Australia’s critical mineral reserves and infrastructure.
...In late April, months after Trump’s infamous dressing-down of Zelensky in the White House, Ukraine and the United States signed a deal for American companies to get preferential access to the 100-odd Ukrainian deposits of critical minerals such as lithium and titanium.
...Pakistan delivered the first shipment of those minerals to the United States in early October. The South Asian country’s critical mineral and metal deposits are estimated to span more than 230,000 square miles—a landmass more than twice the size of the United Kingdom.
I left the Democratic Republic of the Congo out of the above round-up because those agreements haven't been finalized yet, but they are in the process of being worked out.
The man and his team have been busy building a coalition.
Trump was then off to Japan to meet the new prime minister, do some schmoozling, and polish off a couple of major diplomatic agreements there, too, before the last meeting of the journey, with China's Xi.
The welcome he received in Japan was nothing short of warm and spectacular, and there was an immediate rapport between Trump and the new Japanese Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi.
Praise, Nobel nominations and promises of foreign investment in the US - Japan's newly-elected Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi rolled out the red carpet for Donald Trump on Tuesday.
Trump in turn had warm praise for Takaichi, telling her that the US would be there for "anything you want, any favours you need, anything… to help Japan".
...The pageantry and the venue also seemed tailor-made for the US president.
A full military guard of honour and band welcomed Trump to the ornate Akasaka Palace, with its vaulted ceilings and gold-encrusted walls not unlike what the president wants in his planned White House ballroom.
Over lunch, Trump congratulated Takaichi for becoming Japan's first female prime minister.
Notably, according to a White House readout, that lunch was "American rice and American beef, deliciously made with Japanese ingredients" - a move that will no doubt have delighted Trump, who has long demanded that Japan buy rice from the US.
🚨 EPIC! JAPAN PM SANAE TAKAICHI watched MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL with President Trump before today's meeting!
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 28, 2025
"Sorry to keep you all waiting. As a matter of fact, Mr. President and I myself just enjoyed watching the Major League Baseball match!"
"We really enjoyed it!"
🇯🇵🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/PaiIJiuxxa
There was business being done, as well, and the knot on the rare-earth noose Trump had started was tightened even further with yet another agreement signed by the Japanese, which also included next-gen nuclear reactors.
Japan and the United States agreed to a deal on new-generation nuclear power reactors and rare earths, as Tokyo seeks a way back to export markets for its nuclear technology and both look to reduce China's dominance over key electronic components.U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi signed a framework agreement on Tuesday for securing the supply of rare earths used in everything from cars to fighter jets.They signed the documents, which included critical minerals, at the neo-Baroque-style Akasaka Palace in Tokyo, beneath three chandeliers swathed in gold ornamentation, as aides applauded.They made no direct public mention of China, which processes more than 90% of the world's rare earths, making it the source of each country's concern about its mineral supply chain. Beijing has recently expanded export curbs....Japan and the United States would use economic policy tools and coordinated investment to speed "development of diversified, liquid, and fair markets for critical minerals and rare earths", the White House said in a statement.
They aim to provide financial support to selected projects within the next six months, it added.Both countries would consider a mutually complementary stockpiling arrangement and cooperate with international partners to ensure supply chain security, it said.While China dominates global rare earth extraction, the United States and Myanmar control 12% and 8% respectively, says Eurasia Group, with Malaysia and Vietnam covering processing - where China is also the top player - of another 4% and 1% each.
Just to put this in perspective, a month ago, Trump had no leverage over rare earths going into discussions with Xi. In this short trip, he and his team have put together a united worldwide coalition aimed squarely at circumventing the Chinese monopoly and foiling their plans to control the spice, as it were.
...Update from the Trump travel train. He’s done it again. Yesterday, the Hill ran a story headlined, “Trump signs critical minerals deal with Japan.” The President met with Japan’s conservative new Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, and was showered with gifts and attention from the grateful Japanese.
It was Trump’s fourth consecutive rare earths deal, following the weekend’s agreements inked with Thailand, Cambodia, and Malaysia for processing and exporting critical minerals. As recently as Friday, the U.S. appeared to be held hostage, stymied, and hemmed in by Chinese demands to part with its so-called rare earths.
Three days later, Trump has turned it all around.
Zero analysts or reporters predicted that Trump would secure lightning deals with Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Japan for critical minerals supply mere days after China’s move to choke off the supply. Stunned reporters widely described the breakthrough as “unexpected,” stressing that the speed and scope of Trump’s diplomatic negotiations far exceeded their ability to set down their Cosmopolitans and Old Fashioneds and type prompts into their AI chatbots, equally catching by surprise industry leaders, international observers, micro-wrestlers, and most importantly China.
As the Yahoo Finance guys note, cutting into China's rare earth dominance is a big deal.
... The rare earth deal is notable. It's worth noting that that China controls 90% of the world's processing of rare earth minerals. So they're still the leader here, but he's trying to chip into that a little bit to.
There were massive investment promises made with Trump confirming Japan's tariff would be set at 15%, although he is still going to lean hard on her for more access to Japanese markets for American farm products, not just soybeans.
...Both governments released a list of projects, opens new tab in the areas of energy, artificial intelligence and critical minerals in which Japanese companies are eyeing investments of up to $400 billion in the U.S.Tokyo pledged to provide $550 billion of strategic U.S. investments, loans and guarantees earlier this year as part of a deal to win a reprieve from Trump's punishing import tariffs.Those gestures may temper any Trump demands for Tokyo to spend more towards its security in the face of an increasingly assertive China, calls Takaichi sought to head off by promising to fast-track plans to increase defence spending to 2% of GDP.
Overall, it was a reaffirmation of the relationship between the two countries after the frosty period when Trump first took office and Takaichi's predecessor was still in charge.
Takaichi gifted the president with 250 new Japanese cherry trees for the Capitol, and some golf memorabilia that spoke to his heart - a putter that had belonged to his dear friend, assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
I am in tears. Japan’s Prime Minister actually gifted President Trump Prime Minister Abe’s putter. OMG
— MAGA Voice (@MAGAVoice) October 28, 2025
pic.twitter.com/CaNaT7LiQ0
Then they both flew out on Marine One to visit the USS George Washington berthed in Yokosuka for a rousing evening with the crew.
LISTEN as President Trump arrives on the USS George Washington 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/bOcsUn5rML
— Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) October 28, 2025
Of course, he danced.
Trump dance with our U.S. Navy in Japan! 😂🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/Gsm3XJT1ot
— Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) October 28, 2025
And the Japanese prime minister jumped for joy. What a hoot.
🚨 WATCH: Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is literally joyfully jumping up and down with Trump
— MAGA Voice (@MAGAVoice) October 28, 2025
I freaking absolutely LOVE this Prime Minister
The people of Japan are very blessed pic.twitter.com/JAJpcsNdJK
And the president said goodbye to excited sailors who got as many selfies as they could before the boss left the carrier.
“You’re the greatest!”
— Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) October 28, 2025
Watch as U.S. Navy Sailors get selfies with their Commander-in-Chief! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/lwvOmaAC6R
“Thank you everybody!”
— Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) October 28, 2025
President @realDonaldTrump departs USS George Washington after an incredible evening with our U.S. Navy! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/VbXbpXaodC
Trump is next on his way to Korea, where he'll meet with Xi on Thursday.
The tenor of the discussion should be a bit different from what Xi had planned on, but that's Trump.
He knows how to hold his cards and how to deal.
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