US President Donald Trump has met Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull aboard the USS Intrepid in New York in their first one-on-one meeting on Friday.

AS Mr Trump touched down in New York at 8.45am (AEST), almost three hours behind schedule, Mr Turnbull was already aboard the decommissioned WW11 aircraft carrier known as Fighting “1”, meeting a group of eight Australian and US veterans.

By 8.55am, Mr Trump’s presidential limousine was heading up West Side Highway directly towards the USS Intrepid where the leaders were set to mark the 75th anniversary of the battle of the Coral Sea.

https://twitter.com/JonLemire/status/860266563068362753

Mr Trump’s return wasn’t without its controversy, however, with many New Yorkers turning out to protest his first appearance in the city since he became president.

One of the protesters couldn’t resist a ‘Trumble’ reference. Photo: Twitter

After a private chat wound up just after 9am, the two leaders, both wearing black tie dinner suits, addressed the media in what has been described as a very “jovial” and “successful” meeting.

9.30am: When Mr Trump was asked about the awkward phone call in January between the two leaders on the refugee swap deal, Mr Trump dismissed any tensions, saying “you guys exaggerated that call, that was a big exaggeration. We had a great call. I mean, we’re not babies, but we had a great call, right,” the President told the packed media conference. “We get along great. That was a little bit of fake news.”

“We get along great. Always do,” Mr Trump said.

Mr Turnbull replied: “Young at heart.”

Mr Trump was asked about the battle of the Coral Sea, and he said he would be speaking about it during the gala dinner, where 700 guests, including Greg Norman, Gina Rinehart and John Travolta were awaiting their arrival. “That was some battle, that was a very important battle for both of us.”

Mr Turnbull replied that “it was”, saying the battle was the “turning point” in the war.

“So we have been allies for 99 years, can you imagine that? Ninety-nine years and never a bad time. It is a great, great thing,” Mr Trump said.

“I was just up on the flight deck with some of the veterans, American and Australian veterans. They were teenagers when they turned the war, the tide of war … and Australia and America started to win,” Mr Turnbull said.

PM meets WWII vets – Australian and American ahead of Coral Sea commemorations pic.twitter.com/FgpBoqcXyK

— Kieran Gilbert (@Kieran_Gilbert) May 4, 2017

Mr Trump arrived late after celebrating the “unbelievable victory” of repealing ‘Obamacare’ with jubilant Republicans during a hastily arranged appearance in the Rose Garden on Thursday, where they exulted in the passage of their replacement healthcare bill, which squeaked through the House by a vote of 217-213.

“People are suffering so badly with the ravages of Obamacare,” said Mr Trump.

He was also asked by a reporter on his use of Twitter, saying he had “more than 100 million people watching and social media to me is the way to go. This way, if somebody’s not treating you properly or if you do have indeed fake media, not all of it is fake, some of it is fantastic actually, but you can just sort of circumvent,” Mr Trump said.

“I don’t know if you find that (he asked Mr Turnbull) but I find social media is the way to go between the different forums. There are many different forums but it is a fast way of getting the word out. I really think it helped today with healthcare. I think it is a great way to communicate and it is a modern way to communicate,” he said.

10am: Mr Trump and Mr Turnbull entered the gala dinner with their wives as a group to a standing ovation, with all eyes on Melania Trump who was wearing a stunning bright yellow off-the- shoulder gown as they took their seats.

President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump applaud as they attend the dinner with Malcolm and Lucy Turnbull aboard the USS Intrepid docked in the Hudson River in New York on Thursday. Photo: AAP.

10.50am: Speaking at the dinner attended by veterans of the Coral Sea battle, the Prime Minister reflected on how extensive losses in battle secured “victory for America, Australia and our allies”.

“Over 600 American and Australian sailors and airmen died to secure that victory,” he said.

“Our nation’s freedom was secured by the bravery of the men on those ships and the pilots who flew through everything, the enemy and the weather could throw in their way.

“As we reflect on the Battle of the Coral Sea, we are reminded of how the stability and prosperity of our region over so many decades has been secured and is secure today by the United States.”

11am: Mr Trump was introduced to the gala dinner by executive chairman of News Corp, Rupert Murdoch, who described the US President as his “dear friend”.

Mr Murdoch reflected on the long relationship between the two countries, saying that whether it was “cherishing our values and our allies, our standing up to enemies, we should all be inspired by the fortitude of those who made the ultimate sacrifice”.

“These are dangerous times and we must be, as this great carrier is called, intrepid. Fearless and bold,” Mr Murdoch said. “We must also be bold and unafraid to think differently in dealing with the challenges we face.”

11.05am: At the top of his 20-minute speech, described as “heavy on nostalgia” and “sentiment”, Mr Trump mentioned the “testy” phone call between the two leaders.

“They said we had a rough phone call – we really didn’t have a rough phone call, did we? Everyone is talking about this phone call. The media were saying “What do you think of the phone call? You didn’t really hang up? ” We had a very nice call,right?

“Now the record is straight. All those people back there. Thank goodness. It is true, we had a very nice phone call. It got a little bit testy. But that is OK. We have had a very good relationship and I am very proud of the relationship. Thank you very much, Malcolm,” he said.

Mr Trump said “for nearly a century Americans and Australians have fought together, bled together and died together as brothers and sisters”. Photo: AAP

The President said he was “profoundly grateful” for Australia’s military contributions in the Middle East.

“Our two nations were born as the rebellious children of the same parent,” Mr Trump said.

“With love for our two nations, with pride in our shared history and faith in almighty God, we renew our old friendship and pledge our lasting partnership in the search for prosperity and ever lasting peace.”

— with ABC