Slip-ups From World Leaders Believing No One Is Listening

This week, Indonesia's leader Prabowo Subianto thought he was having a private conversation with American leader Donald Trump during Middle East peace talks in Egypt.

However, a live microphone situation revealed Prabowo requesting Trump to organize a meeting with his son Don Jr, who serve as executives at the family business.

It represented only one in a string of missteps made by international figures thinking no one can hear them.

Here are several additional memorable blunders:

Organ Transplants and Immortality

During a defense ceremony in Beijing in early autumn, China's leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin were recorded discussing organ replacement as a approach for extending lifespan.

"Vital organs can be repeatedly replaced. The longer you live, the younger you become, and it's possible to even achieve immortality," Putin's interpreter was recorded stating.

Xi, who was off camera, responded in Chinese: "Some predict that in this century people may live to 150 years old."

Dialogue recorded from China's leader Xi Jinping and Moscow's head Vladimir Putin

'Water Lapping at Your Door'

Ex-Australia immigration minister Peter Dutton came under fire in 2015 when he joked about the plight of people in the Pacific experiencing rising sea levels.

Dutton was conversing with former PM Tony Abbott, who had recently come back from climate change talks with Pacific Island leaders in Port Moresby.

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

Dutton added: "Schedules become irrelevant when you're about to have water lapping at your door."

The comments sparked outrage from Pacific Islands and environmentalists, while the political opponents called for Dutton to apologise.

Peter Dutton overheard joking with Tony Abbott about rising sea levels

'Prejudiced Voter'

As Labour prime minister Gordon Brown was on the trail in 2010, he encountered a constituent who questioned him on migration and the economy.

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

When questioned about she had said, he answered: "All topics, she was just a bigoted woman."

The scandal received extensive coverage for weeks and Brown ultimately lost the political race.

'I Can't Stand Netanyahu. He Lies.'

Former US president Barack Obama was in conversation at the G20 summit in Cannes in 2011 with then French president Nicolas Sarkozy when their comments about Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu were captured by a live microphone.

Sarkozy said: "I cannot bear Netanyahu. He's a liar."

According to a version from a translator cited by Reuters, Obama replied: "You've had enough but I must work with him frequently than you."

'Major League ***hole'

A classic recording incident from former White House hopeful George W. Bush occurred when he made a disparaging remark about a reporter from The New York Times.

The GOP candidate was didn't realize that a recording device was active when he leaned over to Dick Cheney at a Labor Day rally and remarked, "There's Adam Clymer, complete jerk from the New York Times."

Cheney responded: "Oh yeah, he is, definitely."

Bush at a political gathering in 2000
Hannah Sullivan
Hannah Sullivan

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