Trump, Turnbull friends after ‘testy’ phone call

UNITED STATES: US President Donald Trump held his first-faceto-face meeting with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull yesterday, and declared they ‘‘get along great’’ following an acrimonious phone call in January that strained ties between the two allies.

‘‘They said we had a rough phone call. We didn’t really have a rough phone call,’’ Trump said in dinner remarks. ‘‘It got a little bit testy. But that’s okay.’’

Dressed in tuxedos as they prepared to attend a dinner, the two leaders met on board the USS Intrepid, a World War II aircraft carrier that is now a museum moored on Manhattan’s West Side. Joined by their wives, the two leaders later attended a gala to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea.

Turnbull was one of the first foreign leaders Trump spoke to after taking office on January 20. The Republican president became irritated that he was expected to honour an agreement made by his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama, to accept as many as 1250 refugees held in Australian processing centres on remote Pacific islands.

Trump had broken off what was supposed to be an hour-long call after 25 minutes and later tweeted that the refugee agreement was a ‘‘dumb deal’’ and vowed to study it. The call aroused criticism and raised questions about his diplomatic skills.

Vice President Mike Pence visited Australia in April and made clear that while Trump was not happy about the refugee agreement, the US would honour it out of respect for Australia. Under the agreement, Australia is to resettle refugees from three Central American countries.

Yesterday’s get-together with Turnbull was delayed because of Trump’s hastily arranged White House celebration with Republicans from the US House of Representatives after they narrowly passed a healthcare bill that would repeal and replace Obamacare. The measure has yet to come before the Senate.

Trump and Turnbull were all smiles as they answered questions about the January phone call and the refugee deal.

‘‘We get along great. We have a fantastic relationship, I love Australia, I always have,’’ Trump said.

Turnbull added: ‘‘We can put the refugee deal behind you and move on.’’

Trump said the refugee deal had been ‘‘worked out for a long time’’ and reporters had exaggerated the phone call.

‘‘We had a great call,’’ he said, adding, ‘‘I mean, we’re not babies.’’

‘‘Young at heart,’’ added Turnbull. – Reuters