Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto asked U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday if he could meet with Trump’s son Eric, an executive vice president of the Trump Organization, according to comments by the leaders picked up by a microphone after Trump had addressed a Gaza-focused summit in Egypt.
Tom Pepinsky, a Cornell University professor of government who studies democratic backsliding in Southeast Asia.
Pepinsky says: “President Prabowo Subianto’s hot-mic moment with President Trump revealed to the world just how many foreign leaders are eager to exploit the Trump administration’s transactional foreign policy. While we do not know what exactly they discussed, we do know that Prabowo asked for a meeting with Eric and Don, and offered access in return to Hary Tanoesoedibjo, an Indonesian billionaire with close ties to Trump.
“Trump received millions of dollars from Indonesia during his first administration, and the extent of his personal stake in Indonesian real estate and hospitality development remains unknown. Their hot-mic conversation was a window into the corruption and lawbreaking of President Trump, who has turned U.S. foreign policy into a tool for petty corruption and insider deal-making instead of supporting U.S. national interests.”
