KUALA LUMPUR, 28 April 2025 Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has criticised US President Donald Trump’s tariff policy, warning that it would backfire and ultimately damage the American economy itself.
According to Dr Mahathir, the United States’ move to impose tariffs ranging from 10% to 49% on goods from around 60 countries would lead to higher domestic prices, resulting in a soaring cost of living for Americans.
“All goods in the United States will become more expensive. The people will bear the burden of rising living costs, and eventually, workers will demand higher wages. This will cause them to lose their competitiveness,” he said.
Dr Mahathir further highlighted that American industries heavily rely on the global supply chain, particularly for microchip components from countries such as South Korea, Taiwan, and Malaysia. The increased costs, he added, would make American-made products more expensive compared to global competitors.
He also cited the aviation industry as an example, where countries like Malaysia could easily opt to purchase European Airbus aircraft instead of American Boeing planes, causing significant losses to the US economy.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil slammed the rude remarks made by conservative American commentator Bill O’Reilly, who had belittled Malaysia by claiming that Malaysians could not afford Chinese-made products.
Anwar stressed that O’Reilly’s statement reflected an outdated colonialist mindset that disrespected the sovereignty of other nations.
“He spoke as if Malaysia is a backward country. That view is completely wrong,” Anwar asserted.
Fahmi also condemned O’Reilly for being ignorant of the actual facts, citing World Bank data that showed Malaysia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita for 2023 had reached US$11,379 — and even higher after Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) adjustments at US$36,416 — classifying Malaysia as an upper middle-income nation.
“O’Reilly’s allegations are baseless. Malaysia today stands as one of the stronger economies in the region,” Fahmi said.