President Donald Trump landed in Kuala Lumpur and promptly did what the UN couldn’t be bothered to do: end a shooting war and ink trade wins. At a ceremony with the leaders of Cambodia, Thailand, and Malaysia, Trump signed a peace accord and new trade agreements, with the three nations pledging to deepen U.S. economic ties in exchange for lower tariffs. As Trump put it, “Millions of people are alive today because of this peace treaty.” Modest? Not particularly. Effective? Absolutely.

Then came the reminder that process isn’t progress: “The United Nations should be doing this, but they don’t do it… We just did the deal and reported the deal, and everybody was sort of amazed that we got it done so quickly and so nicely.” (They did, however, master the art of turning off his teleprompter—priorities!)

Peace first, then prosperity

• The peace deal formalizes the July truce Trump brokered between Cambodia and Thailand, ending five days of fighting that claimed at least 66 lives. It mandates a military pullback from the disputed border and an exchange of prisoners of war.

• Trump also said he’s eyeing next steps on Pakistan–Afghanistan tensions and the Russia–Ukraine war: “I’ll get that solved very quickly.” Ambitious? Sure. That’s the point.

Tariffs as leverage, deals as deliverables

• After threatening 49% and 36% tariffs, Trump lowered “reciprocal” rates to 19% once Cambodia and Thailand stopped fighting—then cut further via fresh trade pacts.

• Cambodia: apparel tariffs now 7%–15% on most clothing; Cambodia will buy 10 Boeing 737 MAX 8s.

• Thailand: will purchase $2.6B in U.S. agriculture (corn, soybeans), $5.4B in American energy (including LNG), and 80 U.S.-made aircraft for $18.8B.

• Malaysia: will buy 30 planes and spend $150B on U.S. tech hardware (semiconductors included), plus $3.4B/year in LNG, $204M in coal/telecom products, and $70B in U.S. investments.

• Vietnam: pledged to buy 50 Boeing planes for $8B and $2.9B in U.S. agricultural goods; the White House says “reciprocal” tariffs could drop to as low as zero for certain products across the new deals.

Securing critical minerals (and supply chains)

• New critical minerals agreements with Thailand and Malaysia set up future investments and a pricing framework (including price floors) to counter Chinese export controls—following last week’s Australia pact targeting Beijing’s non-market policies.

Diplomacy with rhythm (and receipts)

• Touchdown optics? Red carpet, flags, and native performers—and yes, Trump danced on the tarmac alongside Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim after a 23-hour flight.

• En route, Trump hosted Qatar’s emir aboard Air Force One (UFC on the cabin screens) to advance his Gaza peace plan, which ended two years of war on Oct. 10 and is now moving toward a multinational peacekeeping force.

• On the sidelines, Trump met Brazil’s President Lula to discuss possibly walking back the 50% tariff on Brazil.

• Next up: Japan (meeting PM Sanae Takaichi) and South Korea, where Trump meets China’s Xi Jinping—with U.S. and Chinese teams already laying the groundwork in Kuala Lumpur for a potential trade deal.

Regional reactions

• Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim quipped, “I was in prison, but you almost got there,” drawing laughs.

• Cambodia’s Hun Manet said he’s nominating Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize: “He saved lives.”

• Thailand’s Anutin Charnvirakul offered “sincere appreciation.”

Bottom line: Ceasefire signed, tariffs turned into leverage, Boeing orders stacked, energy and ag exports soaring, and critical minerals secured—all while the UN “didn’t get involved.” Call it peace through strength, or just call it what it is: results. And the tour’s only getting started.