Prime Ministers Jacinda Ardern And Sanna Marin Both Had Excellent Replies To A ‘Sexist’ Question About Why They Were Meeting

When was the last time Joe Biden was asked if he goes golfing with Donald Trump because they’re around the same age? Never. That’s a weird assumption to make, but it didn’t stop a reporter from wondering if New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern met with Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin “just because” they have things in common.

“Are you two meeting just because you’re similar in age and you’ve got a lot of common stuff there, you know, when you got into politics and stuff?” a reporter from a New Zealand outlet asked Ardern during cool-as-hell Marin’s diplomatic visit to Auckland. “Or can Kiwis actually expect to see more deals between our two countries down the line…” Before he continued, Ardern jumped in and asked a question of her own.

“My first question, is I wonder whether or not anyone ever asked Barack Obama and [former New Zealand Prime Minister] John Key if they met because they were of similar age,” she replied. “We, of course, have a higher proportion of men in politics. It’s reality. But because two women meet, it’s not simply because of their gender.”

She said that Finnish exports into New Zealand are worth more than $335 million and that Finland has Nokia, “biofuels, even basic industrial wares that we use in our buildings. You won’t be aware that a large number of our elevators come out of Finland, agricultural machinery.” Finland, on the other hand, according to Ardern imports more than $8 million in “mostly wine and beef.”

Marin gave a more, let’s say, diplomatic answer (“We are meeting because we’re prime ministers”), but you could tell from her barely-concealed smirk while Ardern was talking that she agreed with her — and that she’s sick of “sexist” questions like this one.

(Via Mediaite)