SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
U.S. President Donald Trump and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern during a group photo last week with fellow APEC leaders in Da Nang, Vietnam. (Photo: EPA)
In Pitch-Perfect Retort, New Zealand PM Told Trump: 'No One Marched When I Was Elected'
The new leader was among the New Zealanders who marched against Trump in January—and she didn't back down when the two recently met for the first time
Nov 17, 2017
New Zealand's progressive new Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern strongly rejected President Donald Trump's assessment of her recent rise to power, according to her account of their first in-person meeting at the East Asia Summit last week.
After Trump said Ardern's win had "upset" many New Zealanders, the Labor Party leader remarked that "nobody marched" in response to her victory, as millions did all over the globe when Trump was inaugurated in January.
Ardern offered a full account of her meeting with Trump to New Zealand's Newsroom:
I was waiting to walk out to be introduced at the East Asia Summit gala dinner, where we all paraded and while we were waiting, Trump in jest patted the person next to him on the shoulder, pointed at me and said, 'This lady caused a lot of upset in her country,' talking about the election.
I said, 'Well, you know, only maybe 40 per cent,' then he said it again and I said, 'You know,' laughing, 'no one marched when I was elected.'
At 37, Ardern became New Zealand's second-youngest and third female prime minister in October, just three months after becoming the leader of the center-left party, when the head of the New Zealand First party announced he would support Ardern in a coalition government.
A month earlier, New Zealand's election had resulted in a hung parliament, with the left-leaning contingent winning 54 seats and the center-right National Party gaining 56--falling short of the 61 needed for a parliamentary majority.
Many were surprised when the anti-immigration New Zealand First party, which won nine seats, threw its support behind Ardern's leadership, giving her enough seats to become prime minister.
During her election campaign earlier this year, Ardern focused largely on childhood poverty, environmental protection, and affordable housing.
Ardern has advocated for a drop in immigration to New Zealand by 20,000 to 30,000 per year, citing insufficient infrastructure and housing for a large influx of new arrivals. Currently, the country accepts about 70,000 annually. However, Adern also plans to double the country's refugee quotas and offered to resettle 150 refugees currently in detention centers on Australia's Manus Island, on humanitarian grounds.
The new prime minister was one of thousands of New Zealanders who participated in the Women's March the day after Trump's inauguration.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
New Zealand's progressive new Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern strongly rejected President Donald Trump's assessment of her recent rise to power, according to her account of their first in-person meeting at the East Asia Summit last week.
After Trump said Ardern's win had "upset" many New Zealanders, the Labor Party leader remarked that "nobody marched" in response to her victory, as millions did all over the globe when Trump was inaugurated in January.
Ardern offered a full account of her meeting with Trump to New Zealand's Newsroom:
I was waiting to walk out to be introduced at the East Asia Summit gala dinner, where we all paraded and while we were waiting, Trump in jest patted the person next to him on the shoulder, pointed at me and said, 'This lady caused a lot of upset in her country,' talking about the election.
I said, 'Well, you know, only maybe 40 per cent,' then he said it again and I said, 'You know,' laughing, 'no one marched when I was elected.'
At 37, Ardern became New Zealand's second-youngest and third female prime minister in October, just three months after becoming the leader of the center-left party, when the head of the New Zealand First party announced he would support Ardern in a coalition government.
A month earlier, New Zealand's election had resulted in a hung parliament, with the left-leaning contingent winning 54 seats and the center-right National Party gaining 56--falling short of the 61 needed for a parliamentary majority.
Many were surprised when the anti-immigration New Zealand First party, which won nine seats, threw its support behind Ardern's leadership, giving her enough seats to become prime minister.
During her election campaign earlier this year, Ardern focused largely on childhood poverty, environmental protection, and affordable housing.
Ardern has advocated for a drop in immigration to New Zealand by 20,000 to 30,000 per year, citing insufficient infrastructure and housing for a large influx of new arrivals. Currently, the country accepts about 70,000 annually. However, Adern also plans to double the country's refugee quotas and offered to resettle 150 refugees currently in detention centers on Australia's Manus Island, on humanitarian grounds.
The new prime minister was one of thousands of New Zealanders who participated in the Women's March the day after Trump's inauguration.
New Zealand's progressive new Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern strongly rejected President Donald Trump's assessment of her recent rise to power, according to her account of their first in-person meeting at the East Asia Summit last week.
After Trump said Ardern's win had "upset" many New Zealanders, the Labor Party leader remarked that "nobody marched" in response to her victory, as millions did all over the globe when Trump was inaugurated in January.
Ardern offered a full account of her meeting with Trump to New Zealand's Newsroom:
I was waiting to walk out to be introduced at the East Asia Summit gala dinner, where we all paraded and while we were waiting, Trump in jest patted the person next to him on the shoulder, pointed at me and said, 'This lady caused a lot of upset in her country,' talking about the election.
I said, 'Well, you know, only maybe 40 per cent,' then he said it again and I said, 'You know,' laughing, 'no one marched when I was elected.'
At 37, Ardern became New Zealand's second-youngest and third female prime minister in October, just three months after becoming the leader of the center-left party, when the head of the New Zealand First party announced he would support Ardern in a coalition government.
A month earlier, New Zealand's election had resulted in a hung parliament, with the left-leaning contingent winning 54 seats and the center-right National Party gaining 56--falling short of the 61 needed for a parliamentary majority.
Many were surprised when the anti-immigration New Zealand First party, which won nine seats, threw its support behind Ardern's leadership, giving her enough seats to become prime minister.
During her election campaign earlier this year, Ardern focused largely on childhood poverty, environmental protection, and affordable housing.
Ardern has advocated for a drop in immigration to New Zealand by 20,000 to 30,000 per year, citing insufficient infrastructure and housing for a large influx of new arrivals. Currently, the country accepts about 70,000 annually. However, Adern also plans to double the country's refugee quotas and offered to resettle 150 refugees currently in detention centers on Australia's Manus Island, on humanitarian grounds.
The new prime minister was one of thousands of New Zealanders who participated in the Women's March the day after Trump's inauguration.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy