
First Lady Melania Trump glowed in Australia's national color as her husband made a triumphant return to New York City on Thursday for a meeting with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull after celebrating the House passage of legislation undoing much of his predecessor's health law.

President Donald Trump commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea during WWII onboard the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum where he was joined by his wife, youngest daughter Tiffany Trump, actor John Travolta, News Corp Executive Chairman Rupert Murdoch, Greg Norman and Gina Rinehart.

Murdoch, 86, introduced Trump during the American Australian Association gala event that was attended by roughly 700 guests. The Australian media titan got a special greeting from Trump: a presidential hug in front of a global audience including his nation's prime minister.

Trump's visit to the Big Apple was shorter than first expected so that he could commemorate the House vote with a Rose Garden news conference, the White House eager for the appearance of a victory after an uneven first 100 days in office.

Slated to be in Manhattan only a few hours, Trump was not expected to visit his home at Trump Tower and pushed back his first-time meeting with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull by several hours.

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Donald Trump turned his first trip home as president into a victory lap on Thursday, returning to the city that has largely opposed him while celebrating House passage of legislation undoing much his predecessor's health law

Trump was joined by his wife, Melania, who wowed in a yellow Dior dress for the evening. They are pictured together above with Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (left) and his wife Lucy Turnbull (center back)

The president and first lady are attending a dinner aboard the USS Intrepid, a decommissioned aircraft carrier docked in the Hudson River in New York, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Coral Sea, a World War II naval battle fought by US and Australian force against the Japanese

The mother-of-one appeared to be enjoying herself on Thursday aboard the USS Intrepid as she was all smiles throughout the evening

The president's youngest daughter, Tiffany Trump, attended the event with her boyfriend Ross Mechanic

Actor John Travolta was also in attendance for Thursday's event on the USS Intrepid

Travolta took the mic during the dinner and gave a speech aboard the USS Intrepid

'We have a fantastic relationship, but I love Australia,' said Trump after a brief meeting with Turnbull.

He then downplayed the contentious call he had with Turnbull in February, dismissing the reports of tension as 'fake news.'

The leaders spoke aboard the decommissioned aircraft carrier to commemorate the 75th anniversary of a World War II battle that reinforced the ties between the U.S. and Australia.

Both countries' warships and fighter planes engaged the Japanese from May 4-8, 1942, forcing the Japanese navy to retreat for the first time in the war.

In introducing the president, Murdoch said: 'These are dangerous times, and we must be, as this great carrier is called, "Intrepid," that is to say, fearless and bold in our resolve to advance the frontiers of freedom, and in defense of our nation's shores.'

'We must also be bold and unafraid to think differently in dealing with the challenges we face. The man I'm about to introduce believes, as I do, in challenging conventional wisdom – because conventional wisdom is often not wise at all.'

Turnbull had said moments before that together the U.S. and Australia 'condemn and resist the reckless provocations of North Korea.'

Trump was photographed embracing Rupert Murdoch, Executive Chairman of News Corp, during the dinner

Murdoch and Trump have a relationship that goes back decades, and the two reportedly speak every week to commiserate and plot strategy

Trump also said that his relationship with Turnball is fantastic and that he loves Australia

'We fight together in Iraq and Afghanistan to defeat and destroy the terrorists who threaten our way of life.'

Trump began his remarks by praising Murdoch: 'There's only one Rupert. That we know.'

He said his longtime friend had worked tirelessly for decades to foster strong ties between the U.S. and Australia, and wasn't above shaking him down for annual donations to the American Australian Association.

'I've been contributing to for years through Rupert,' Trump said. 'Every year he'd send me this letter – "Could you please give money?" I'd say, "What do I have to do with that, Rupert?" And I'd just keep sending him money, money.'

'And now I realize, that was money well-spent. That's great. Right, Rupert? For years I've been doing my thing for Rupert.'

Trump pledged during his remarks that 'we will eradicate terrorism,' and Murdoch lauded him for taking his promise directly to the Middle East.

The White House announced earlier on Thursday that the president will visit Saudi Arabia and Israel in a matter of weeks. Murdoch called those nations 'two of our most important allies in a troubled region.'

Trump and Murdoch, the chairman of the Fox News Channel's parent company, talk every week to commiserate and plot strategy, according to a recent New York Times report.

Australia's Prime Minister also took the podium and gave brief remarks during the dinner on Thursday

During their meeting aboard the USS Intrepid, Trump and Turnbull were expected to discuss North Korea's missile testing and security and economic issues

The US President spoke on board the World War II carrier at the dinner to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea

Australian country music singer-songwriter Amber Louise Lawrence performed on the USS Intrepid at the commemoration event

Veterans were celebrated during the dinner to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea during the Second World War

Trump's triumphant appearance aboard the World War II carrier was scheduled just hours after jubilant Republicans bused in from Capitol Hill to the White House for the victory lap, an unusually early celebration for the passage of a bill through just one house of Congress.

The legislation, which was met with sharp Democratic opposition, squeaked through the House by a vote of 217-213 and faces an uncertain fate in the Senate.

Trump said he was 'so confident' that the measure would pass the Senate and vowed that premiums and deductibles would come down.

'People are suffering so badly with the ravages of Obamacare,' Trump said.

At one point the president turned to the representatives lined up behind him and, suggesting the victory was especially impressive for a novice politician, exclaimed: 'Hey, I'm president! I'm president! Can you believe it?!'

House leaders came through with the votes to give Trump a major political win more than a month after Republicans' first attempt to pass a health care bill went down in a humiliating defeat.

Known as the American Healthcare Act, the bill has yet to receive a price tag from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office and is opposed by a number of physician and health care groups, including the American Medical Association, amid concerns it could strip millions of Americans of their coverage, including those with pre-existing medical conditions.

Trump and Turnbull were expected to discuss North Korea's missile testing and security and economic issues, as well as Turnbull's deal with Obama for the United States to resettle up to 1,250 mostly Muslim refugees from Africa, the Mideast and Asia who are housed in immigration camps on the Pacific island nations of Nauru and Papua New Guinea.

The agreement was a source of friction when Trump and Turnbull spoke by telephone shortly after Trump took office January 20.

In supporting her husband while in New York, Melania sported a Christian Dior yellow silk crepe asymmetric dress

Trump (bottom right) cheers for veterans during a dinner to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea during WWII

The conversation made headlines, and Trump later tweeted about the 'dumb deal.'

But Vice President Mike Pence assured Turnbull during a visit to Australia last month that the Trump administration will honor the deal, but 'that doesn't mean we admire the agreement.'

Manhattan is where Trump made a name by transforming himself from real-estate developer into a celebrity businessman and now president.

During the campaign, Trump would fly thousands of miles back to New York to sleep in his own bed, leaving the impression that he would make frequent trips home after he became president.

But he hasn't set foot in the city since leaving on January 19 for Washington to be inaugurated into office the following day.

But now deeply unpopular in his hometown, Trump said in an interview last week that he so far has avoided returning to the city because the trips are expensive for the government and would inconvenience New Yorkers.

Multiple modest protests were held across the city during his visit, some visible from the presidential motorcade as it roared past Wall Street and Manhattan's famed skyscrapers. Above protesters gather on 5th Avenue near Trump Tower in New York Thursday ahead of the president's visit

The group of demonstrators held signs outside of the building he owns ahead of his visit

Trump's revised schedule was to take him straight from a waterside heliport to the Intrepid, docked on the Hudson River and relatively isolated from the rest of the city.

Trump only received 18 per cent of the vote in New York in November's presidential election.

Multiple modest protests were held across the city during his visit, some visible from the presidential motorcade as it roared past Wall Street and Manhattan's famed skyscrapers.

Some protesters lined up along the West Side Highway, confined to pens near the Intrepid while holding up signs saying 'Dump Trump' and chanted 'Not my president.' Some passing cars honked in support.

'We want him to know the resistance remains, even in his hometown,' said Ruthie Adler, 30, a Manhattan waitress.

Trump's wife, Melania, and son Barron live at Trump Tower most of the time while the 11-year-old finishes the school year.

The president was not expected to spend the night there, instead slated to sleep at his golf club an hour away in Bedminister, New Jersey.