President Trump is insisting that the diplomats and world leaders gathered in New York for the United Nations General Assembly were laughing with him, not at him, when he used his global platform to claim he had accomplished more than any previous U.S. president. "What did you experience, as someone in the room?" Stephen Colbert asked New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Wednesday's Late Show. "Are you trying to create a diplomatic incident here, right now?" she asked, laughing. "Maybe I'm going to defuse one right now," Colbert replied.
The first laugh was "a spontaneous murmur amongst some people," Ardern said carefully, but after Trump said he hadn't expected that "little" laugh, "then people laughed with him." "That is very diplomatically stated," Colbert said. "No war between the United States and New Zealand, then." They went on to talk about how Ardern's partner nearly caused his own international incident while she was discussing steel tariffs with Trump, Colbert's obsession with Lord of the Rings, and the sometimes-awkward accessibility of New Zealand's head of government.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Sudan's forgotten pyramidsUnder the Radar Brutal civil war and widespread looting threatens African nation's ancient heritage
-
'Being more nuanced will not be easy for public health agencies'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Where did Democratic voters go?Voter turnout dropped sharply for Democrats in 2024
-
Boeing machinists approve contract, end strikeSpeed Read The company's largest union approved the new contract offer, ending a seven-week strike
-
US economy still strong in final preelection reportSpeed Read It grew at a solid 2.8% annual rate from July through September
-
Boeing machinists reject deal, continue strikeSpeed Read The rejection came the same day Boeing reported a $6.2 billion quarterly loss
-
Ports reopen after dockworkers halt strikeSpeed Read The 36 ports that closed this week, from Maine to Texas, will start reopening today
-
Empty-nest boomers aren't selling their big homesSpeed Read Most Americans 60 and older do not intend to move, according to a recent survey
-
Brazil accuses Musk of 'disinformation campaign'Speed Read A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has opened an inquiry into Elon Musk and X
-
Disney board fends off Peltz infiltration bidSpeed Read Disney CEO Bob Iger has defeated activist investor Nelson Peltz in a contentious proxy battle
-
Disney and DeSantis reach detenteSpeed Read The Florida governor and Disney settle a yearslong litigation over control of the tourism district
