Frydenberg defends Turnbull after leaked transcript reveals infamous Trump call

Cabinet minister Josh Frydenberg says the leaked transcript of Malcolm Turnbull's infamous first phone conversation with US President Donald Trump proves Mr Turnbull stood up for Australia's interests.

The Washington Post published the transcript of the tense call which took place just days after the President was sworn in.

The call started out pleasant enough before mention of a refugee deal struck between the Australian government and Obama Administration.

President Trump describes the deal as "disgusting" and "horrible".

"I hate taking these people. I guarantee you they are bad"

He goes on: "It makes me look so bad and I have only been here a week".

Mr Turnbull appears to pull out all stops to convince the President to honour the deal. The agreement was to take up to 2000 refugees who had attempted to come to Australia by boat and were being held on Manus Island or in Nauru.

During the conversation the Prime Minister said the US did not have to take all of the refugees if it didn't want to.

"The obligation is for the United States to look and examine and take up to and only if they so choose - 1250 to 2000. Every individual is subject to your vetting. You can decide to take them or to not take them after vetting. You can decide to take 1,000 or 100. It is entirely up to you. The obligation is to only go through the process," Mr Turnbull said.

"I say this to you sincerely that it is in the mutual interest of the United States to say, 'yes, we can conform with that deal - we are not obliged to take anybody we do not want, we will go through extreme vetting'."

Australia had agreed to settle people from Central America in exchange. In February Julie Bishop said she wouldn't categorise it as a "people swap deal".

In the phone call with the US President, Mr Turnbull said: "We will take more (refugees). We will take anyone that you want us to take. The only people that we do not take are people who come by boat."

"We would rather take a not-very-attractive guy that help[s] you out than to take a Nobel Peace Prize winner that comes by boat," Mr Turnbull said.

Malcolm Turnbull has since thanked Mr Trump for honouring the refugee deal that was at the centre of their tense phone conversation.

"I always stand up for Australia's interests in every environment," Mr Turnbull told reporters in Broome, Western Australia, today.

"The nature of our relationship with the United States in this area is one of mutual assistance. We help the Americans, they help us."

The Greens have accused Mr Turnbull and the government of lying about the deal.

Senator Nick McKim accused the Prime Minister of "fibbing to the Australian people".

"You have to ask yourself here, if Malcolm Turnbull is lying to the Australian people about whether or not this deal is a people swap- which he did -what else is he being dishonest about?," Mr McKim said.

This morning on the TODAY Show One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson defended Mr Trump's stance.

"I can understand Trump, he went into an election he said we're not taking any more refugees I can understand why he'd be angry about it," Ms Hanson said.