by Rahim Said
As America’s presidential election hits fever pitch, the campaign trail is ablaze with big promises, fiery insults, and, apparently, some utterly wild geography lessons.
In the latest rally spectacle for Donald Trump on October 27, political commentator Tucker Carlson decided to, well, reimagine Kamala Harris’s origins — now apparently “Samoan-Malaysian.”
In what can only be described as a remarkable departure from reality, Carlson launched into a tirade that left Malaysians, among others, scratching their heads and looking at world maps just to be sure.
And while Kamala Harris is indeed historic for her biracial heritage, tracing her roots to Jamaican and Indian parents, that’s apparently not exotic enough for Carlson.
With a new, hypothetical background slapped onto her, Harris has somehow become a symbol of low-IQ politics and, bewilderingly, Malaysian pride.
The internet, predictably, has taken up the torch. Over in Malaysia, locals are rolling in laughter—or maybe disbelief—at Carlson’s inspired yet inaccurate geography.
One user quipped, “Guess it’s time for U.S. politicians to find Malaysia on a map!” Another chimed in, “No storms, no thunder, and suddenly we’re mentioned.” Malaysians know they aren’t exactly a regular talking point in American elections. Yet here we are, making a cameo on the campaign trail.
The rally didn’t stop there. The Trump clan threw in a dance to “YMCA” for good measure, setting the evening’s tone as something between a pop concert and a fever dream.
To round off this odd assembly, Elon Musk made an appearance. That’s right — the same Elon who recently ghosted on his Malaysian investment plans has somehow decided that this is the campaign event worth attending.
So, what’s with the sudden urge to “Keep Malaysia out of your mouth”? Maybe because Malaysian netizens — and anyone with access to Google — are rightly wondering how their country became the subject of a political roast when its connection to Kamala Harris, Carlson’s commentary, and frankly, to the entire event, is nonexistent.
It’s as if Carlson grabbed a few names from the map, added a dash of stereotyping, and threw them into his speech for dramatic flair. The results were bewildering, a bit cringey, and utterly entertaining.
But let’s take this humour and mix in a bit of irony. Malaysia’s actual global footprint has been expanding recently, especially in areas like durian exports, medical tourism, and, of course, palm oil (love it or hate it, we’re still talking about it). Yet none of that made it onto the big American stage. Instead, Malaysia’s limelight arrives through a botched political punchline. It’s a little absurd — and maybe, just maybe, a sly reminder that America’s chaotic campaign spectacles could use a lesson or two on fact-checking.
Now, all that’s left to say is this: Thanks for the shout-out, Tucker, but we’re doing just fine without the attention.
And to our friends on Reddit — yes, Malaysia’s officially had its 15 minutes on the U.S. campaign trail. Let’s hope it doesn’t become a trend.
Rahim Said is a human behaviourist and regular contributor to digital media platforms. He is a professional management consultant, a corporate trainer and an executive coach specialising in coaching senior executives and individual entrepreneurs to modify their behaviour and pursue their cherished missions. (The views expressed by our columnist are entirely his own)
WE