Donald Trump and Jacinda Ardern have met briefly in New York, where the pair discussed baby Neve, Iran, US tariffs and the Korean peninsula.
The US President hosted an exclusive party for heads of delegations on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. The event provided an opportunity for leaders to get a handshake and photo opportunity with Mr Trump at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel on Madison Ave.
While most attendees only got a brief audience with the President, Newshub understands Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was welcomed warmly by the President, and was given the opportunity to discuss several issues with him.
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"She got a fair amount of face-time and was able to raise a few issues with the President," Newshub's political editor Tova O'Brien told The AM Show on Wednesday from New York.
"[Mr Trump] congratulated her on Neve and Ardern acknowledged the work Trump is doing on the Korean Peninsula," she said. "Neve didn't escape his attention; in fact she hasn't escaped anyone's attention that has any interest in the Prime Minister."
Ms Ardern became the first world leader to bring their baby to the United Nations General Assembly this week, when baby Neve watched her mother speak at the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit.
Neve's presence at the UN set off a global reaction with coverage across dozens of international media outlets including The Washington Post, The Guardian, the BBC, Time, Vogue, Euro News, China Daily, and Reuters.
The Prime Minister and her partner attended Mr Trump's leaders gathering together in New York, leaving baby Neve at their hotel with some of Ms Ardern's staff providing baby-sitter duties.
Speaking to media after her meeting with the President, Ms Ardern doubled down on New Zealand's commitment to the Iran nuclear deal which the United States withdrew from in May. Mr Trump called it a "horrible one-sided deal."
Ms Ardern's comments on Iran came after Mr Trump blasted the Iranian regime in his opening speech to the UN General Assembly this week.
"Not all will feel well-served by globalisation and the opening up of trade," Ms Ardern said.
"But it's our job to make sure that our people will benefit from trade and that we have prosperity for everyone. We can either choose to do this through isolationism or through a multilateral approach."
She said the majority of New Zealand's exports to Iran "tend to be in the food and beverage space" and remain unaffected by US sanctions against Iran.
In their meeting, Mr Trump and Ms Ardern addressed ongoing discussions around exemptions for New Zealand from US steel and aluminium tariffs. Australia joined Mexico and Canada in being excluded from the tariffs earlier this year, and New Zealand hopes to join the list.
The Korean peninsula was also a topic of discussion for Mr Trump and Ms Ardern. It's understood the Prime Minister congratulated the President for his historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in June.
The last time Mr Trump and Ms Ardern met face-to-face was in the Philippines last November for the APEC conference. It was there that Mr Trump told a person standing behind Ms Ardern that she "caused a lot of upset in her country" referring to the election.
Mr Trump's administration has not shied away from expressing disdain for the United Nations. In June, US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley announced the US would be withdrawing from the UN Human Rights Council, and called the global body "hypocritical and self-serving".
Mr Trump was late to the UN General Assembly this week, which "speaks to his contempt of the institution," said O'Brien. He then provoked a bemused reaction from the audience after he boasted about his accomplishments as leader.
"In less than two years, my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country," the US President said.
Newshub.
