The Latest on President Donald Trump (all times local) :
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Latest on President Donald Trump (all times local) : 9: 40 p.m. President Donald Trump says few people share ties in history, affection and culture like the Americans and the Australians. Trump says « iron bonds » between the United States and Australia were forged in the waters of the Pacific during a World War II naval battle in which both countries halted a Japanese advance. Trump says those ties were « sealed with the blood of our fathers and grandfathers » who lost their lives in the Battle of the Coral Sea. The battle was a turning point in the war and led to an alliance between the U. S. and Australia. Trump spoke at a gala dinner aboard the USS Intrepid in New York to commemorate the 75th anniversary of that battle. He also met with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull before dinner. ___ 9: 22 p.m. President Donald Trump says he and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull have had a « productive discussion » about issues important to their nations during their first face-to-face meeting. Trump says they talked about national security, trade and boosting economic cooperation during their New York meeting. Trump and Turnbull got off to a rocky start during their first telephone conversation in January, soon after Trump took office. Trump says it « got a little bit testy » but denies the tone was any harsher than that. He says he’s proud of the good relationship he has with Turnbull. Trump and Turnbull addressed a black-tie dinner aboard the USS Intrepid to mark the 75th anniversary of a World War II naval battle in the Coral Sea in which the U. S. and Australia fought the Japanese. ___ 7: 55 p.m. President Donald Trump is touting what he calls his « fantastic relationship » with Australia despite an earlier contentious phone call with its prime minister. Trump and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull are meeting aboard a decommissioned World War II aircraft carrier docked in New York to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea. Trump claims that the reports about the tense January call with Turnbull were « fake news. » Trump and Turnbull cut short their meeting because the president remained in Washington longer than expected to tout the passage of the Republican health care bill through the House. ___ 7: 10 p.m. Donald Trump is turning his first trip home as president into a victory lap. The president is spending Thursday evening in New York while celebrating House passage of legislation undoing much of former President Barack Obama’s health law. Trump is in the city to meet with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and commemorate a World War II battle that reinforced the ties between the U. S. and Australia. Trump only received 18 percent of the vote in New York in November’s presidential election. Multiple modest protests are being held across the city during his visit, some visible from the presidential motorcade as it roared past Wall Street and Manhattan’s famed skyscrapers. Slated to be in Manhattan only a few hours, Trump isn’t expected to visit his home at Trump Tower. ___ 6: 15 p.m. President Donald Trump is making his first return home to New York since taking office. Air Force One landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport Thursday evening. Trump is set to travel to Manhattan to meet with the Australian prime minister and give a speech marking the anniversary of a famed World War II battle. Trump grew up in New York and, a famed homebody, would return to Trump Tower nearly every night during last year’s campaign. But he has not set foot in New York since he left for Washington on Jan. 19, the day before his inauguration. He only received 18 percent of the city’s vote last November. Several protests have been scheduled throughout the city during his stay. Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
