US President Donald Trump has expressed his willingness to attend the upcoming ASEAN Leaders’ Summit in Malaysia at the end of this month — on the condition that he can use the occasion to preside over the signing of a peace agreement between Thailand and Cambodia, according to reporting from Politico.
The report stated that the White House has made Trump’s participation in the October 26–28 summit contingent on Malaysia’s agreement to let him host a formal peace deal signing ceremony between Cambodia and Thailand, outside the main ASEAN agenda. Politico cited three sources who are familiar with the plan, noting that they requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the issue.
Trump’s desire to take centre stage at this international forum is reportedly part of his efforts to portray himself as a “leader of peacemakers”, following his role in ending July’s deadly five-day border conflict between the two neighbouring Kingdoms.
According to the same source, the White House also requested that Chinese officials be excluded from the ceremony to ensure that the spotlight remains on Trump, while at the same time limiting Beijing’s mediating influence between Bangkok and Phnom Penh.
However, the White House has denied that Trump’s condition is a prerequisite for his attendance.
“The president is negotiating this peace agreement, but this is not a condition for attending the summit,” said a senior administration official.
Recently, Trump has repeated claimed that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, citing his efforts to end multiple wars within just seven months of his current term—including the Thai–Cambodian conflict.
Leaders from Pakistan, Israel (Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu), Cambodia (Prime Minister Hun Manet), and several other countries have publicly nominated Trump for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.
“It would be a tremendous insult if anyone other than me were to receive the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize,” Trump said in June.
The award is scheduled to be announced this coming Friday.
