🔗 Share this article

This week, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto believed he was a confidential discussion with American leader Donald Trump during Middle East peace talks in Egypt.

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

It represented only one in a series of gaffes made by world leaders when they assume no one can hear them.

Below are five other memorable errors:

Organ Transplants and Immortality

At a military parade in Beijing this September, China's leader Xi Jinping and Russia's head Vladimir Putin were overheard discussing organ replacement as a method for extending lifespan.

"Human organs can be continuously transplanted. The more you extend your life, the more youthful you get, and it's possible to even reach eternal life," Putin's interpreter was recorded stating.

Xi, who was off camera, answered in Chinese: "Experts forecast that in this century humans may live to 150 years old."

A conversation recorded from Chinese president Xi Jinping and Moscow's head Vladimir Putin

'Water Lapping at Your Door'

Former Australian immigration minister Peter Dutton faced criticism in 2015 when he joked about the situation of people in the Pacific facing rising sea levels.

Dutton was conversing with former PM Tony Abbott, who had recently come back from environmental talks with regional heads 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 commented: "Schedules become irrelevant when you're about to have the ocean reaching your home."

The comments sparked outrage from regional nations and climate activists, while the opposition Labor party demanded Dutton to apologise.

Peter Dutton recorded making jokes with Tony Abbott about rising sea levels

'Prejudiced Voter'

As Labour prime minister Gordon Brown was campaigning in 2010, he faced a constituent who challenged him on migration and the economic situation.

Remaining connected to a Sky news microphone when he entered the car, Brown was heard saying: "That went terribly – they should never have put me with that woman. Who thought of that? Ridiculous."

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

This incident received extensive coverage for an extended period and Brown went on to lose the election.

'I Cannot Bear Netanyahu. He's a Liar.'

Former US president Barack Obama was in conversation at the G20 summit in Cannes in 2011 with France's leader Nicolas Sarkozy when their comments about Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu were picked up by a live microphone.

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

Per a account from a French interpreter cited by Reuters, Obama replied: "You've had enough but I must work with him more often than you."

'Major League ***hole'

A vintage recording incident from former White House hopeful George W. Bush happened as he made a disparaging remark about a reporter from The New York Times.

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

Cheney answered: "Oh yeah, that's true, big time."

Bush at a Labour rally in 2000