Trump talked tersely with leaders of Mexico, Australia

Washington — Transcripts of President Donald Trump’s conversations with the leaders of Mexico and Australia in January offer new details on how the president parried with the leaders over the politics of the border wall and refugee policy — with random asides on such subjects as drug abuse in New Hampshire.

The president’s exchanges with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull just a week after the inauguration were widely reported upon at the time. But transcripts published Friday by The Washington Post offer new detail on the new president’s blunt exchanges with the U.S. allies.

Highlights from the conversations:

Politics of the wall

Trump acknowledges that talk about building a wall at the US-Mexico border is more about image management than economic policy.

“Believe it or not, this is the least important thing that we are talking about, but politically this might be the most important talk about,” he said. “But in terms of dollars — or pesos — it is the least important thing.” He acknowledges both leaders are “in a little bit of a political bind” because each has vowed not to pay for the wall.

New Hampshire slam

Trump says he won New Hampshire “because New Hampshire is a drug-infested den.” Trump won the GOP primary in New Hampshire. Democrat Hillary Clinton won the state in the general election.

The refugee deal — bad optics

In the Turnbull call, Trump complains about being saddled with an Obama administration agreement to help resettle some refugees who attempted to reach Australia by boat.

Trump returns: “This is going to kill me. I am the world’s greatest person that does not want to let people into the country. And now I am agreeing to take 2,000 people, and I agree I can vet them, but that puts me in a bad position.”