Lampooning the meeting between Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and United States President Donald Trump, several Pakatan Harapan leaders dressed up as Trump.

After concluding a press conference in Petaling Jaya this morning, DAP publicity chief Tony Pua and PKR strategic director Sim Tze Tzin donned blond wigs and coats in a bid to imitate Trump during the photo-op.

Sim and Amanah strategy director Dzulkefly Ahmad also put on red neckties in imitation of the US president's style, while Pua wore a red necktie with images of the cartoon character Donald Duck.

Together with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) policy and strategy bureau chief Rais Hussin, the four Harapan leaders held up blue placards that read: “Trump: Make America Great Again”.

Two placards also read “Thank you Mr Najib. xoxo Donald”. xoxo is a common way to conclude the written message meaning “hugs and kisses”.

Najib met with Trump at the White House on Tuesday. According to official transcripts and a video of the occasion, Najib had pledged to help strengthen the US economy in his opening statement at the meeting.

This had earned him brickbats at home, where critics said Najib should focus on Malaysia’s economy instead of the US economy.

Earlier at the press conference, Pua read out the coalition's joint statement, calling for a special two-day parliamentary sitting to debate Najib's opening statement to Trump.

'Video showcased a desperate PM'

"The historic meeting with President Trump should have been a triumph for Najib, a testimony that Malaysia has arrived under his leadership to be treated as an equal partner to the US.

"Instead, the video of the meeting, which has gone viral around the world, showcased a desperate prime minister paying tribute to his imperial masters...

"Najib must justify to 30 million Malaysians why he behaved like the leader of a vassal state to the US 'imperialists' within days after we celebrated 60 years of independence," Pua said.

Rais (photo) said the meeting between Trump and Najib was the most expensive photo opportunity, which would be used to back the claim that Najib has been “exonerated”.

He claimed that BN had already sent out invitations to invite its component parties and some NGOs to give Najib a hero’s welcome at Subang Airport tomorrow.

“I think this trip is all a well-choreographed public relations stunt. I think for the next few months, this photo opportunity - the most expensive photo opportunity in the history of Malaysian politics - will be used massively in the mainstream media to accentuate Najib’s supposed exoneration from the issues he is facing in the US that is related to 1MDB,” Rais said.

In his opening statement at his meeting with Trump, Najib had said that the Employees Provident Fund would increase its investments in the US from the current US$7 billion by another US$3 billion or US$4 billion “to support your infrastructure redevelopment in the United States”.

In addition, he said, Khazanah has invested US$400 million in high-tech companies and intends to increase that investment.

As for Malaysia Airlines (MAS), Najib said the airline has committed to purchasing more than US$10 billion in aircraft and pledged that he would try to persuade AirAsia to purchase engines from General Electric as well.

Pua: Malaysia got nothing in return

Reading from the Harapan joint statement, Pua said Malaysia seemed to have offered more than RM60 billion to the US, but got nothing in return.

“All we got in return was a ‘Thank you very much. Appreciate it.’ You could almost imagine Trump quietly saying ‘You can go now’ in his head…

“President Trump didn’t even try to pretend that Malaysia got anything in return – for example, the promise of ‘potential’ investments or increased imports of Made-in-Malaysia products, or visa-free travel for Malaysians to the United States,” Pua said.

Meanwhile, in a separate statement issued today, Amanah international bureau chief Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah Raja Ahmad likened the Najib-Trump meeting to paying ‘protection money’.

“Najib's most peculiar economic assistance offer statement to Trump could be viewed on video by all hearing him saying, ‘We want to help you in terms of strengthening your economy...!’ Here is Malaysia, still a developing nation with a nation's debt of almost RM1 trillion, making an offer to help build the infrastructure of the world's richest and most advanced nation in the world.

“This is not an offer to help, but an offer of paying ‘homage’ and likened to paying protection money to the world's most powerful nation! Where is Malaysia's pride and sovereignty today?” Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah asked.

Najib has denied wasting public funds to buy US influence, saying that the investments would reap huge returns for the benefit of Malaysians.

“Malaysia is now a capital exporter and the situation is the same when the US is investing in Malaysia.

"The fact that we're now becoming an exporter of capital is indicative that Malaysia is a successful nation," Bernama quoted Najib as saying.