{
  "id": 18987170,
  "title": "Why The Popular Backlash Against Trump’s Corruption Didn’t Surprise Malaysians",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/08/why-the-popular-backlash-against-trumps-corruption-didnt-surprise",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-08T17:32:49.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Sarawak Report",
    "slug": "sarawak-report",
    "url": "https://www.sarawakreport.org/2026/11/why-the-popular-backlash-against-trumps-corruption-didnt-surprise-malaysians/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The popular backlash against President Trump's alleged corruption did not surprise Malaysians, as the issue of bribery and insider deals had become a top concern for voters in the recent American midterms. President Trump's decision to abolish the Department of Justice's Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Unit, nullify the Foreign Agent Registration Act, and ignore sleaze allegations led to increased anger and concern. This disregard for anti-corruption measures coincided with the signing of a \"250 Pardons List,\" which included the Malaysian fraudster Jho Low, who was wanted by the FBI for his involvement in the $5 billion theft from Malaysia's 1MDB sovereign wealth fund, along with then-Prime Minister Najib Razak. The scandalous list was intended for President Trump's consideration during the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of American Independence, a celebration that should have emphasized values of propriety, honesty, and integrity in government. Instead, it revealed a scandalous list of potential pardon recipients, including Jho Low, who had allegedly offered a $2 billion bribe to Trump, as well as a half-billion-dollar private equity fund involving Malaysia's 1MDB partner, Abu Dhabi fund Aabar, and a company run by Trump's intermediary Frank White. These connections between Malaysia and U.S. political corruption led to increased outrage among Malaysians, who ousted their own government in the 2018 election in response to the widespread corruption allegations.",
  "summary": "Commentators so often dismiss the idea that ordinary voters can detect or even care about high-level corruption. It is a lesson that over-powerful politicians can learn to their cost. Najib and BN were overwhelmed by the anger engendered by their plunder of public money and now in the US, once a bastion of the rule of law, Donald Trump faces the same backlash....",
  "key_points": [
    "Backlash against Trump's alleged corruption unsurprising to Malaysians",
    "Bribery and insider deals top voter concerns in recent American midterms",
    "250 Pardons List includes Malaysian fraudster Jho Low and Najib Razak"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}