Donald Trump returns to New York protesters chanting: 'We hate you'
President flew to his home state for a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, following a house vote to repeal and replace Obamacare
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump was jeered by hundreds of protesters when he returned to New York yesterday for the first time since his inauguration more than three months ago.
Around a thousand residents of the President’s home state gathered on Manhattan’s West Side, where Mr Trump was due to speak at a gala after meeting with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
As the President pulled in, the angry crowd booed and shouted: “New York hates you”.
“This crowd, although not that big, got very loud,” NBC News' Stephanie Gosk reported.
“We're in the hundreds here, probably started around a thousand,” she said.
Mr Trump is extremely unpopular in Manhattan, where just 10 per cent of voters supported him in November, compared to nearly 87 per cent who cast their ballot for Hillary Clinton.
In New York State, Ms Clinton won by 59 per cent to Mr Trump’s 36.5 per cent.
Yesterday, residents made it clear they had not changed their minds about the President, with creative placards showing Mr Trump’s head Photoshopped on to buttocks and slogans including “This village doesn’t want its idiot back”.
Mr Trump was due to speak to the Australian prime minister at the decommissioned USS Intrepid aircraft carrier museum to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea, in which US and Australian forces fought against the Japanese in the Second World War.
The President delayed his first face-to-face meeting with Mr Turnbull by three hours, as the House voted Thursday on his plan to repeal and replace Obamacare.
The measure passed by a narrow margin, with 20 Republicans betraying their party and voting against the plan.
Nevertheless, Mr Trump postponed Mr Turnbull to instead hold a lengthy celebratory press conference at the White House before boarding Air Force One and flying to New York.
It was a risky move, following a reportedly frosty telephone call between the two leaders when Mr Trump took office in January.
The President reportedly became irritated that he was expected to honour an agreement made by his predecessor, Barack Obama to accept as many as 1,250 refugees held in Australian processing centres on remote Pacific islands and hung up on the Australian leader.
But Mr Trump reported that the pair, who had to cut their Thursday meeting short too and hold it on board the Intrepid to save time, "got along great".
“We have a fantastic relationship," the President said, as the pair posed briefly for photographs afterwards. "I love Australia, I always have."
Mr Turnbull added: “We can put the refugee deal behind you and move on.”
Mr Trump said the refugee deal had been “worked out for a long time” and that reporters had exaggerated the phone call.
“We had a great call,” he said, adding, “I mean, we're not babies.”
“Young at heart,” added Mr Turnbull.
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