Kuala Lampur, May 22 -- It wasn't a peace mission. It wasn't diplomacy. It wasn't even subtle.

Trump's recent tour through the sand-slicked palaces of Riyadh, Doha, and Abu Dhabi looked more like a Vegas residency meets a Davos roadshow. Three of the world's richest autocracies rolled out gold-plated carpets, offering up more than US$3 trillion (RM12 trillion) in investment pledges - yes, trillion with a 'T' - to a man who wears power like a reality show crown and sells the American dream like a used Cadillac with bullet holes in the backseat.

This wasn't about regional stability. It was branding. Trump-style. He wasn't exporting freedom or democracy. He was flogging "America First" as a global franchise - one where the golden arches ar...