Donald Trump cut short a conversation with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull after reportedly telling him it was his "worst call by far" with a foreign leader that day. The two leaders sparred over an exchange of refugees agreed between Australia and the Obama administration late last year.
The US President had tweeted with reference to the refugee exchange that he would "study this dumb deal".
Under the terms of the deal, the US would resettle up to 1,250 asylum seekers, most of whom are held in processing camps on the Pacific islands of Nauru and Papua New Guinea while Australia in return would take refugees from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.
However during Mr. Trump's weekend conversation with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, the US President is reported to have described the refugee agreement as "the worst deal ever".
On Saturday, President Trump conducted several phone calls with world leaders from Japan, Germany, Russia, France, and Australia, but reportedly cut short the scheduled one-hour conversation with the Australian Prime Minister after just 25 minutes.
According to the Washington Post, Trump also accused Mr. Turnbull of trying to export the "next Boston bombers", a reference to Tamerlan and Dhozkar Tsarnaev, Russian-born US citizens who set off two bombs at the 2013 Boston marathon. Three people were killed in the blast and more than 260 injured. Mr. Trump reportedly told Mr. Turnbull: "I don't want these people."
He is also reported to have said that he had spoken to four world leaders that day and "this is the worst call by far".
Mr Turnbull reportedly tried to steer onto other topics, such as Syria. But Mr Trump had had enough and, despite Australia being one of the US' staunchest allies, he cut their conversation short, according to the Post report.
Mr Turnbull did not confirm these reports, stating that "it's better that these things - these conversations - are conducted candidly, frankly, privately." On the contrary, he said that Australia had "received assurance" and that "the very extensive engagement we have with the new administration underlines the closeness of the alliance."