Ardern a hit with ‘The Late Show’ audience

PRIME Minister Jacinda Ardern has won the applause of the studio audience of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in New York.

The taping of the show finished about noon NZ time and aired about four hours later in the United States. It was broadcast on New Zealand television last night.

Ms Ardern got much applause and cheers from the studio audience as Mr Colbert told the crowd she was the youngest elected female world leader, and the second leader to have had a baby while in office.

She was asked about the laughter in the United Nations general assembly on Wednesday as United States President Donald Trump was speaking.

She asked if Mr Colbert was trying to create a diplomatic incident, to much laughter from the audience.

‘‘So there was a little laugh, and then he said: ‘I didn’t expect that response’ and then there was a bigger laugh — then people laughed with him.’’

Mr Colbert then said ‘‘and the first laugh?’’, to which Ms Ardern said: ‘‘The first laugh was a spontaneous murmur . . . amongst themselves.’’

He asked if she joined in to which she replied that she observed — again to applause and whooping from the audience.

Ms Ardern also discussed her handshake strategy with Mr Trump, told the story about how her partner, Clarke Gayford, knocked over a flag when they met Mr Trump this week, and discussed the steel and aluminium tariffs imposed by the United States.

Ms Ardern told Mr Colbert, who is a Lord of the Rings fan, that the people of Hobbiton had called her to say that they wanted to make Mr Colbert a citizen of Hobbiton — which would get him a certificate and a mug.

She invited him to come to New Zealand for the citizenship ceremony, and he said he would love to come.

Mr Colbert wished Ms Ardern luck for her general debate speech at the United Nations.