President Trump's phone call with Prime Minister Turnbull last February was one of the earliest conversations the billionaire had with a world leader after he took office.

Trump called into question a refugee deal between the US and Australia. Struck with the Obama administration, the deal would see over a thousand asylum-seekers to Australia resettled in the US. In exchange, a separate deal guaranteed that Australia would take in asylum-seekers from US-backed detention facilities in Costa Rica. The refugee-swap arrangement did not sit well with Trump. He called it "the worst deal ever". Trump has since said he would honor the deal but apply what he called "extreme vetting" to all arrivals.