Trump makes return to NYC fresh off health vote win

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump turned his first trip home as president into a victory lap today, returning to the city that has largely opposed him while celebrating House passage of legislation undoing much his predecessor's health law.

Trump only received 18 percent 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.

His visit 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.

Trump and Turnbull spoke by telephone earlier today and were looking forward to meeting, the White House said.

The leaders were still slated to speak aboard the USS Intrepid, a 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.

His 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" the measure would pass the Senate and vowed premiums and deductibles would come down.

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