Najib-Trump committed to strengthening ties

PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and United States President-elect Donald Trump have committed to strengthening ties between both countries in their first conversation since the Republican candidate emerged victorious in the Nov 8 polls.

In a posting on his Facebook page on Sunday, Najib said it was “great to reconnect” with the man he once played golf with.

“Great to reconnect with President-elect Trump following his outstanding win.

“Earlier today we had a very warm and productive telephone conversation. Among other matters, we talked about economic growth in the US and Malaysia,” Najib wrote.

The Prime Minister said he had also congratulated Trump on his victory, with both parties agreeing to further strengthen US-Malaysia ties.

In an exclusive recent interview with Sunday Star, Najib had recalled the golf game they played at the Trump National Golf Club in New York several years ago. 

Najib was attending the United Nations General Assembly when a group of them, including the late Ambassador to the US Tan Sri Jamaluddin Jarjis, decided to play golf at Trump’s club.

When the real-estate mogul heard about his Malaysian guests, he decided to join in.

“So, he and I partnered and we won the game. We took a photo together with JJ (Jamaluddin) and for some reason, I put the photo next to my desk in my office.

“I did it before he became as famous as he is today,” Najib recalled, adding that Trump had autographed the photo with the phrase, “To my favourite Prime Minister. Great win!”

Sunday’s phone conversation was the first time the two had spoken since Trump became heavily involved in the 2016 US Presidential election.

The Republican nominee won the Nov 8 polls against his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, with a margin of more than 70 electoral college votes, winning in key states like Ohio, Florida, and Pennsylvania.