The White House has downplayed comments by US President Donald Trump praising Australia's healthcare system and says there is no desire to implement a similar system in America.
"The president was complimenting a foreign leader on the operations of their healthcare system," White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said at a news briefing, according to Reuters.
"It didn't mean anything more than that."
The statement from the White House comes after Trump heaped praise on Australia's healthcare system in a meeting with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in New York City this week.
"Right now Obamacare is failing. We have a failing health care. I shouldn't say this to our great gentleman and my friend from Australia, because you have better health care than we do," Trump said at the time.
In the meeting between the two leaders, Trump also downplayed a reportedly heated call with Turnbull in February.
"We had a great call. We're not babies," he told reporters in a brief press conference before co-hosting a gala dinner.
Trump told reporters that the United States has a "fantastic" relationship with Australia.
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