President Trump and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will sit down in New York City next week for their first in-person meeting since the two unexpectedly butt heads during a phone call in January.
Trump and Turnbull will be in Manhattan May 4 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of World War II’s Battle of the Coral Sea, in which the U.S. joined Australian forces to fight Japan in the Pacific.
Following the ceremony on the USS Intrepid, an aircraft carrier that survived five kamikaze attacks and one torpedo strike during World War II, the two leaders will hold a meeting at the museum.
“The president looks forward to meeting the prime minister and to strengthening the enduring bonds, deep friendship and close alliance between the United States and Australia,” the White House said in a statement Tuesday evening.
Trump’s relationship with Turnbull has been a far cry from the diplomatic one the Obama administration held with Australia.
On Jan. 28, Trump and Turnbull spoke by phone. The conversation was supposed to last 25 minutes, but went on for an hour as Trump told Turnbull he would not honor his predecessor’s deal to take in 1,250 refugees. Trump even told Turnbull that “this was the worst call by far.”
Australia has long been an ally to the U.S. and is one of the “Five Eyes” countries that America partners with in sharing intelligence.
