Mahathir: Americans going vs president in 3 months

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (AFP) — 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 United States leader of “living in an old world.”

Speaking to Agence France-Presse in an interview two months ahead of 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 percent levy in July unless the two countries can 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.

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