Ardern, 42, delivered what one New Zealand reporter described as a “kill shot,” responding with, “I wonder whether or not anyone ever asked Barack Obama and John Key if they met because they were of similar age,” she said, referring to the former 44th U.S. president and the former prime minister of New Zealand, who were born within days of each other in 1961.
“We, of course, have a higher proportion of men in politics, it’s reality. Because two women meet, it’s not simply because of their gender.”
While Marin, 37, finished the reporter off with, “We are meeting because we are prime ministers.”
Marin then turned to the business at hand, saying It’s our job to further [our countries’ economic opportunities], regardless of gender.”
The reporter, left in a puddle, was further slayed by social media.
“I’m surprised they didn’t ask who she was wearing,” one person tweeted.
Another Twitter user wrote, “It’s a shame some journalists spoke to [Ardern and Marin] like they are 1950s housewives organizing a coffee morning.”
Marin, elected in 2019, was the world’s youngest serving head of government until Gabriel Boric, 35, was elected president of Chile in 2021.
When Marin was confronted Wednesday by another reporter over her “party prime minister” title, something that emerged after she was seen in videos dancing at a private party, the Finnish head of state said, “During our governmental period, there has been the global pandemic, there’s war now in Europe, there’s an energy crisis, perhaps an economic crisis in front of us. So there are many things on my plate that are more concerning than my free time. […] You are free to discuss and write what you want, but I’m focusing on the issues that are in our program.”
The two leaders also discussed the ongoing protests in Iran.
“I also worry about the situation in Iran right now … the brave women that are protesting against the laws and the security situation of women in Iran, we need to address these kind of issues together,” Marin said, according to BBC News.
Why did Democrats do so surprisingly well in the midterms? It turns out they ran really good campaigns, as strategist Josh Wolf tells us on this week’s episode of The Downballot. That means they defined their opponents aggressively, spent efficiently, and stayed the course despite endless second-guessing in the press. Wolf gives us an inside picture of how exactly these factors played out in the Arizona governor’s race, one of the most important Democratic wins of the year. He also shines a light on an unsexy but crucial aspect of every campaign: how to manage a multi-million budget for an enterprise designed to spend down to zero by Election Day.
