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Amid heightened media scrutiny over the tragic fate of a father and daughter who died on the US-Mexico border, Trump tweeted pictures of four fliers distributed by the Australian government warning migrants away from attempting to come to the country, adding that "much can be learned!"
As immigration and border protection minister, Morrison in 2013 oversaw the "Sovereign Borders" policy aimed at preventing people smuggling and asylum seekers deaths at sea. While that policy was successful in lowering the number of people arriving in Australia, it achieved this in part by massively expanding the number of people held in offshore detention camps on the Pacific nations of Nauru and Papua New Guinea.
The opposition Labor Party had said it would resettle at least 150 refugees in New Zealand, which has repeatedly offered to take them but been turned down by the Australian government, which claims doing so would encourage more migrants to attempt the risky sea crossing in the Pacific.
"The situation of their indefinite and prolonged confinement, exacerbated by the lack of appropriate medical care amounts to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment according to international standards," the UN rights experts said in the statement.
Even if found to be refugees, asylum seekers are not permitted to settle in Australia and must either go home, hope for relocation to a third country, or remain in Papua New Guinea or the remote island of Nauru. Some have been sent to the US under deal struck by Morrison and Trump's predecessors, Malcolm Turnbull and Barack Obama.
"I am the world's greatest person that does not want to let people into the country," Trump said in the call, complaining that Australia was foisting migrants on the US.
While that particular element of Australia's immigration policy may have frustrated the US leader, he will find much in common with Morrison when they meet on Thursday for dinner.
The meeting with a fellow anti-immigration hardliner will likely come as a relief as Trump faces increasing criticism at home for his tough border policies.
CNN's Hilary Whiteman, Ben Westcott and Bard Wilkinson contributed reporting.