Mahathir backs Biden, says US re-electing Trump would be disaster

Mahathir also defended China’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak, refuting US government claims that Beijing orchestrated a cover-up

He praised Malaysia’s response to the pandemic, highlighting the discipline of law-abiding citizens in complying with partial lockdown measures

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Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad was unseated as prime minister in a shock political coup in March. Photo: EPA

Published: 5:00pm, 13 Jun 2020Updated: 7:12am, 17 Oct 2020

Malaysian elder statesman Mahathir Mohamad, known for his own iconoclasm and strongman leadership during two stints as prime minister, believes the re-election of United States President Donald Trump in November would spell “disaster”.

During a wide-ranging interview with This Week In Asia focused on his own country’s political turmoil, the 94-year-old former premier also dismissed the Trump administration’s claim that China should take responsibility for the coronavirus pandemic.

Mahathir, who for decades revelled in his reputation as an anti-West champion of developing countries, said the US president’s “belligerence” had exacerbated tensions between the two superpowers.

“I never thought he would win, but he won,” Mahathir said during the interview, conducted via videoconferencing app Zoom. “[Now] people are saying there are a lot of people who would support him. It would be a disaster.”

By comparison, Mahathir said former vice-president Joe Biden, who is the Democratic nominee, was a more “reasonable” figure who had reacted with empathy to America’s recent race-related unrest.

“I don’t know whether he will be re-elected, but I hope Biden will be different from him,” Mahathir said, adding that he had told some Americans “I am voting for Biden [even though] I don’t have the right to vote”.

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