https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2024/10/21/kjmh-o21.html

Prabowo’s bloody history and close connections to the US government initially proved too exposing for Washington, the supposed defender of “democracy” and “human rights” around the world. It sought to distance itself from Prabowo after the collapse of the Suharto regime, denying him a visa to enter the US during the Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations.

After Prabowo became defense minister, this quickly changed. Prabowo was embraced by the Trump administration amid the growing drive to war against China, which has included whipping up tensions in the South China Sea. He visited the US in 2020 for talks at the Pentagon with then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who hailed Prabowo as “our counterpart, in a very important relationship.”

The Biden administration similarly embraced Prabowo, who has held numerous talks with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, including at the Pentagon in August 2023. Biden quickly congratulated Prabowo in a phone call after his election was confirmed in March and sent a delegation to the inauguration ceremony on Sunday. It was led by Washington’s UN ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield and included Admiral Samuel Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, and Daniel Kritenbrink, the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.

Can't imagine why the working class Indonesians could possibly be unhappy with him....must be the septics, right Brian?