Trump says he will 'make a phone call' on Cambodia-Thailand clashes

By AFP December 9, 2025 | 10:12 pm PT

(From L) Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet, Thailand's Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and U.S. President Donald Trump during the ceremonial signing of a ceasefire agreement in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 26, 2025. Photo by AP

U.S. President Donald Trump said he was planning to "make a phone call" on Wednesday about the renewed clashes between Thailand and Cambodia over their contested border, which have prompted evacuations.

During a rally speech to supporters in the northeastern U.S. state of Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Trump listed various conflicts he has become involved with diplomatically, concluding with: "And I hate to say this, one named Cambodia-Thailand, that it started up today."

"Tomorrow, I have to make a phone call, and I think they'll get it," he continued.

"Who else could say, 'I'm going to make a phone call and stop a war of two very powerful countries'?"

Trump co-signed a truce between a Cambodia and Thailand in October during a visit to Asia.

The dispute between Thailand and Cambodia centers on a century-old disagreement over borders mapped during France's colonial rule in the region, with both sides claiming a smattering of boundary temples.