As This President Tours Asia, Democracy’s Ideals Aren’t on the Agenda

The durability of the American experiment has been tested in the nine months since President Trump’s return to the White House, with institutions from Congress to the judiciary struggling or declining to check his aggressive attempts to flout the law and expand his power.

During Mr. Trump’s latest trip abroad, on a six-day sojourn through Asia, he has launched, fists pumping, onto the world stage, chasing a trade deal with China and compelling several other Asian governments to sign economic agreements. Several of the leaders he will encounter this week are autocrats, or are presiding over vulnerable democracies. And some are open fans of his bulldozing approach to governing.

In Malaysia, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim praised Mr. Trump’s willingness to flout security protocols by letting him ride along in the American presidential limousine shortly after Mr. Trump landed in Kuala Lumpur.

“We admire your tenacity and courage because the world needs leaders who promote peace strongly,” Mr. Anwar told the president when the pair appeared together on Sunday in observance of a peace deal between Thailand and Cambodia. “And to achieve that, you have to break some rules, as you did today.”

Mr. Anwar also joked of his time in prison on corruption and sodomy crimes, charges he and his supporters have long maintained were part of a sham orchestrated by his predecessor. “I was in prison, and you almost got there,” Mr. Anwar said, referring to Mr. Trump’s felony convictions.

For his part, Mr. Anwar’s government has been criticized for a worsening climate for freedom of expression, driven in part by pressure from the country’s right wing.