In 1984, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad visited the White House to meet with the then US president Ronald Reagan.

Similar to their successors – Najib Abdul Razak's meeting with Donald Trump - Mahathir and Reagan both issued joint statements, and both did not take questions from the press.

However, unlike Najib and Trump who made their speech at the White House Cabinet Room, Mahathir and Reagan issued their statement from the more prestigious East Room.

Also during Reagan's time, the practice of press conferences following joint statements with foreign dignitaries was not yet in place. This practice was only introduced during the presidency of George W Bush in the early 2000s...