🔗 Share this article

Recently, Indonesia's leader Prabowo Subianto believed he was a confidential discussion with American leader Donald Trump at the Gaza peace summit in Egypt.

However, a live microphone situation captured Prabowo requesting Trump to organize a meeting with his son Eric, both of whom serve as executives at the Trump organization.

It represented only one in a string of missteps committed by world leaders when they assume they're off the record.

Below are several additional memorable errors:

Transplant Procedures and Immortality

During a defense ceremony in Beijing this September, China's leader Xi Jinping and Russia's head Vladimir Putin were recorded talking about organ replacement as a approach for prolonging life.

"Human organs can be continuously transplanted. The longer you live, the more youthful you get, and you can even achieve immortality," Putin's interpreter was recorded stating.

Xi, who was off camera, responded in Chinese: "Experts forecast that in the current era people may live to 150 years old."

A conversation heard between China's leader Xi Jinping and Moscow's head Vladimir Putin

'Sea Rising at Your Door'

Former Australian border protection chief Peter Dutton came under fire in 2015 when he made light about the situation of residents in the Pacific facing rising sea levels.

Dutton was conversing with then-prime minister Tony Abbott, who had recently come back from climate change talks with regional heads in Port Moresby.

Observing how a meeting about refugees was running on "Cape York time", Abbott responded: "There was a similar situation up in Port Moresby."

Dutton commented: "Time doesn't mean anything when you're about to have water lapping at your door."

The comments sparked outrage from regional nations and climate activists, while the political opponents called for Dutton to apologise.

Peter Dutton overheard joking with Tony Abbott about rising sea levels

'Bigoted Woman'

As Labour prime minister Gordon Brown was campaigning in 2010, he encountered a voter who questioned him on immigration and the economic situation.

Remaining connected to a broadcast microphone when he got into his vehicle, Brown was recorded stating: "That was a disaster – they should not have placed me with that woman. Who thought of that? Absurd."

Asked what she had said, he replied: "Everything, she was just a prejudiced person."

The scandal dominated headlines for an extended period and Brown ultimately lost the political race.

'I Can't Stand Netanyahu. He's a Liar.'

Former US president Barack Obama was in discussion at the G20 summit in Cannes in 2011 with then French president Nicolas Sarkozy when their comments about Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu were picked up by a live microphone.

Sarkozy stated: "I can't stand Netanyahu. He's a liar."

According to a account from a French interpreter quoted by Reuters, Obama replied: "You've had enough but I have to deal with him frequently than you."

'Major League ***hole'

A classic recording incident from then US presidential candidate George W. Bush occurred when he made a disparaging remark about a journalist from The New York Times.

The GOP candidate was didn't realize that a microphone was live when he leaned over to Dick Cheney at a Labor Day rally and remarked, "There's Adam Clymer, major league asshole from the New York Times."

Cheney responded: "Oh yeah, that's true, definitely."

Bush at a political gathering in 2000