PUTRAJAYA: Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad is giving President Donald Trump three months before his fellow Americans force him to rethink his stringent global tariff strategy, accusing the US leader of “living in an old world”.

In an interview two months before his 100th birthday, the plain-speaking Mahathir said: “Trump will find that his tariffs are hurting America, and the people in America will end up against him.”

The US president’s stop-start tariff rollout will hit Asian nations hard — including Malaysia, which faces a 24 per cent levy in July unless the two countries strike a deal.

“It’s going to cause America a lot of problems, so I give Trump three months,” said Mahathir, who ruled Malaysia in two stints lasting nearly a quarter of a century.

Still working a five-day week from his office in the administrative capital Putrajaya, the sprightly nonagenarian remains as outspoken as ever.

“Donald Trump is irrational. I don’t think he thinks carefully about what he’s doing,” said Mahathir.

“His policies on migration — and also trying to reduce the cost of government, sacking thousands of people — all these things are not good.

“It will not make America great,” he said, taking a jab at Trump’s MAGA election slogan.

Asked what he thought of some of Trump’s foreign policies — proposing to take over Greenland and seize control of the Panama Canal — Mahathir said the US leader was “living in an old world”.

‘Cannot stop China’

Throughout his long career, Mahathir was a proponent of a “Look East” policy — pushing Malaysians to find solutions in Asia rather than depending on Western nations.

As US tariffs loom, Mahathir has not changed his mind.

China has taken the brunt of the US president’s combative trade policies with 145pc tariffs on many goods.

President Xi Jinping recently visited Malaysia, part of a three-stop tour to Southeast Asia, where the Chinese leader called for closer cooperation between the two nations.

“You cannot just stop China because its ability, its capacity is the same as those of Western countries,” said Mahathir.

“We find that the US, which for some time has been lauding itself as the world’s first power, does not want to accept China’s development.”

Malaysia aimed to remain friendly towards both Washington and Beijing, the veteran politician said.

“We don’t want to quarrel with China, but we don’t want to quarrel with America either,” he added.

“Malaysia’s policy is to be friendly with all countries.” Mahathir, one of the 20th century’s last post-colonial stalwarts, will celebrate his birthday on July 10.

The former leader has been battling health problems, most recently when he was hospitalised after contracting a respiratory infection.

He spent nearly three months in hospital during another stay last year.

Although no longer in power — his fragile coalition which included long-time political foe and current Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim collapsed in 2020 — Mahathir’s views still carry much weight at home and across the region. But asked what he thought was his most important legacy, Mahathir said it was “for others” to judge.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2025