New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern tells Stephen Colbert about Trump's laughter-inducing UN speech and her failed 'Lord of the Rings' audition
- New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern appeared on the "Late Show with Stephen Colbert" on Wednesday, while she was in New York City for the UN General Assembly.
- During the interview, Ardern gave her take on US President Trump's UN address, which caused widespread laughter when he claimed to have accomplished more than any other administration.
- She also spoke about her one-on-one talk with Trump, which she said was hampered when her partner Clarke accidentally toppled a flagpole.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern took a break from meetings at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday to appear on the "Late Show with Stephen Colbert", where she charmed the audience with her take on President Donald Trump's address, her partner's gaffs, and her unsuccessful audition for "The Lord of the Rings."
Ardern, the youngest female world leader at 38, made history on Monday when she brought her three-month-old daughter Neve to the floor of the UN General Assembly, to take in Trump's speech.
Trump's address made headlines when he caused the dignitaries to erupt in laughter for claiming he had gotten more done than any prior administration. He later claimed that the audience was laughing with him.
When asked whether this was true, Ardern smiled and asked Colbert if he was "trying to create a diplomatic incident."
She then went on to say that there was a "little laugh" in response to Trump's claim, at which point the US president said, "I didn't expect that response." His comment caused a "bigger laugh," at which point people were laughing with him, Ardern clarified.
Ardern described the first laugh as a "spontaneous murmur amongst ... some people."
"And you joined in?" Colbert asked.
"I observed," Ardern responded, causing the audience to break out into laughter.
Ardern also spoke about her one-on-one talk with Trump later on, when she asked him about getting an exception to his newly imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum.
But she said there was a "slight distraction" when her partner, Clarke Gayford, "knocked over a flag pole."
"As I turned around he was holding this - what I can only describe as a long metal prong, which I think was the device that splays the flag," she said. "And I'm surprised no one leapt on him at that point, because it looked like a weapon."
At another point in the conversation, Colbert, a fan of "The Lord of the Rings" books, pointed out that Ardern comes from a town near the "Hobbiton" set for Peter Jackson's films on the books.
"I did, but I do find it slightly offensive that everyone thinks every New Zealander starred in either 'Lord of the Rings' or 'The Hobbit,'" Ardern joked.
"Were you in 'Lord of the Rings' or 'The Hobbit'?" Colbert asked.
"Some of us auditioned but weren't successful, okay? That's all I'm going to say," she responded.
"Did you really audition?" Colbert asked.
"I did, I did," she said.
Ardern said New Zealand is so casual that people actually do come up to her all the time, and she's usually referred to just by her first name.
"In fact I've had conversations in the most awkward situations, maternity bra shopping, grocery store," Ardern said.
Ardern is expected to address the UN General Assembly herself on Thursday.