Trump to Call Thai PM on Border Crisis as Thailand Faces Political Upheaval

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (Dec. 12, 2025) — U.S. President Donald Trump is set to speak with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Friday evening as Washington seeks to ease escalating clashes along the Cambodia–Thailand border, Thai media reported.

The call, scheduled for 9 p.m. local time, comes amid renewed fighting that has left dozens dead and displaced thousands. Thai officials said Anutin invited the foreign minister and the commander‑in‑chief of the Royal Thai Armed Forces to join the discussion.

Trump has said he intends to speak with leaders in both Bangkok and Phnom Penh to broker a ceasefire, describing the confrontation as one of the “three conflicts” he has mediated during his term. “They have been fighting for decades,” Trump said earlier this week. “I get along very well with both countries… I’ve mediated it once already, and I think I can do it quickly.”

The diplomatic outreach coincides with deep political turmoil in Thailand. Anutin dissolved parliament Friday after days of border clashes, triggering a general election expected within two months. In a royal decree, he acknowledged the conflict was among several crises his minority government had struggled to manage since taking office three months ago.

His administration had already faced criticism over deadly flooding in southern Thailand last month that killed more than 170 people. The dissolution followed the withdrawal of support from the progressive People’s Party, which accused Anutin’s Bhumjaithai Party of failing to deliver promised constitutional reforms. The opposition had planned a no‑confidence vote for Friday.

Thailand has experienced repeated upheavals over the past year, with two prime ministers dismissed by the courts.