President Donald Trump greeted Malaysian dancers with his signature moves as he kicked off his highly anticipated week-long foreign trip to Asia.
Drums played as he strutted down the red carpet, leading him off Air Force One in Malaysia's capital city, Kuala Lumpur, toward the native dancers on Sunday morning local time.
After a 23-hour flight from Washington, DC, Trump, 79, stepped side to side as he pumped his fists.
Trump popularized his iconic dance during his 2024 election campaign, before he beat Kamala Harris and returned to the White House for a second term.
He was dancing along with a massive group of vibrantly dressed performers. The stunning array of colors they wore represented the country's major ethic groups, including Malays, Chinese, Indians and indigenous people from Borneo.
The dancers clapped, swayed and chanted in unison while performing a traditional routine to welcome Trump on the first stop of his trip, during which he will also visit Japan and South Korea, where he will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Trump's former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon has warned that this trip is one of the president's 'riskiest' ever.
His meeting with Xi has sparked fears over the potentially detrimental impact on Americans' wallets if the two leaders fail to reach an agreement amid their raging trade war.
'The Chinese Communist Party has declared open economic warfare against America, so this is what they call a throw of the "iron dice." This is as high stakes as it gets,' Bannon claimed.
A jubilant crowd waving American and Malaysian flags applauded during Trump's spirited arrival. Trump approached the onlookers, grabbed two flags and posed for photos.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim walked alongside Trump as he was given a warm introduction to the Southeast Asian nation.
While the US president was greeted with much enthusiasm, protesters also gathered in the city to express their discontent with Trump's presence.
Trump has embarked on this five-day Asia tour to arrange trade deals throughout the region.
He has set high expectations for the trip, claiming he will leave his meeting with Xi in South Korea with a 'really fair and really great trade deal.'
But before he meets with Xi, he has several other diplomatic stops to make.
He attended a peace deal ceremony during the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center between Cambodia and Thailand.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet signed a ceasefire agreement under Trump's oversight, according to the BBC.
Just before the deal was signed, Manet expressed gratitude toward Trump for his 'decisive lead' that helped the agreement come to fruition.
'No matter how difficult and complex a dispute may be, they must be resolved by peaceful means,' Manet said.
After the peace agreement was settled, Trump signed trade deals with Malaysia and Cambodia, as well as a minerals deal with Thailand.
Trump is also set to meet with the newly elected Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo.
His next stop will be South Korea, where he will deliver remarks at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.
Finally, he will conclude his trip with a consequential bilateral meeting with Xi. Trump also said he was open to speaking with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Demilitarized Zone.
The trip comes after a week of breakdowns in foreign policy for the Trump administration.
Peace in the Middle East remains tenuous after the Israeli Knesset symbolically voted to support West Bank annexation after the president secured an agreement with Hamas earlier this month.
His second meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin fell apart, leading to the imposition of oil sanctions, and tensions with China are at a months-long high.
On his flight to Malaysia, Trump announced plans to raise tariffs on Canada by 10 percent. He also noted that he hopes to land on a 'comprehensive' trade deal with China.
When Air Force One made a refueling stop in Doha, Qatar, on Saturday, Trump briefly met with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Trump warned that Hamas 'will have a very big problem' if it fails to uphold the tentative deal forged with Israel earlier this month, which many fear is teetering on the brink.
'The ceasefire will hold. If not, we will deal with Hamas very harshly,' Trump declared.
Trump also sat down with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.
'We have done a lot together, especially in the last year... Peace to the Middle East, and they were a very big factor in it,' Trump said to the two Qatari leaders.
Despite concerns raised by Bannon and other skeptics, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has shared a positive outlook for Trump's tour.
Greer and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent spoke with Chinese officials in Kuala Lumpur.
'I think we’re moving forward to the final details of the type of agreement that the leaders can review and decide if they want to conclude together,' Greer told reporters, according to CNN.
'We had quite constructive discussions with our Chinese counterparts. We think we’re getting to a point where we have something we can present to the leaders.'
