President Trump will meet with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull for the first time next month, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Tuesday.
The meeting is set to take place while the two leaders are both in New York City on May 4, when Trump will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea during World War II, a major naval fight in which the U.S. and Australia joined forces against Japan.
“The president looks forward to meeting the prime minister and to showcasing the enduring bonds, deep friendship and close alliance the United States has with Australia,” Spicer said.
{mosads}Trump’s relationship with Turnbull got off to a rocky start in January, shortly after Trump took office. In a phone call with the Australian leader, Trump reportedly boasted about the size of his electoral win and rebuffed a refugee agreement between the two countries made under the Obama administration.
Under the deal, Australia would resettle refugees from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador in exchange for the U.S. resettling as many as 1,250 currently being detained by Australian authorities. At the time, Trump disparaged the deal as “dumb.”
Vice President Pence said on Saturday that the U.S. would ultimately honor the agreement.