London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, May 31, 2025

New Zealand Lawmakers Are Hitting Back At Trump For His Comments About Their Coronavirus Cases

On Monday, the US recorded almost 38,000 new cases of COVID-19. New Zealand recorded just nine.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and other New Zealand lawmakers are hitting back at President Donald Trump in unusually blunt terms over his comments comparing the coronavirus outbreak there to the US.

"Obviously it's patently wrong," Ardern told reporters on Tuesday in response to Trump saying there had been a "huge surge" in her country.

Speaking to supporters in Michigan on Monday, Trump tried to defend his handling of the pandemic by highlighting other countries who are experiencing sudden upticks.

“When you look at the rest of the world ... now all the sudden, a lot of the places that they were using to hold up, they’re having a big surge,” Trump said. “They were holding up names of countries, and now they’re saying, ‘Whoops!’

"In fact, even New Zealand," Trump said.

Following several months of no new COVID-19 infections in New Zealand, the country last week began seeing several cases emerge in the city of Auckland. That small outbreak, the source of which is under investigation, prompted Ardern to plunge the city back into lockdown.

According to public broadcaster Radio New Zealand, there are currently 90 active cases of the virus in all of New Zealand, which has a total population of 4.8 million people.

"You see what's going on in New Zealand. They beat it [the virus], they beat, it was like front-page [news] they beat it because they wanted to show me something," Trump said Monday.

"The problem is [there is a] big surge in New Zealand. You know it's terrible - we don't want that."

But New Zealand politicians called Trump out, saying it was not fair or accurate to compare their number of new cases - nine on Monday and 13 on Tuesday, according to Radio New Zealand - with the US.

"Obviously I don't think there's any comparisons between New Zealand's current cluster and the tens of thousands of cases that are being seen daily in the United States," said Ardern.

"Every country is experiencing its own fight with COVID-19," she added. "It is a tricky virus but not one where I would compare New Zealand's current status to the United States.

"New Zealand's nine cases in a day does not compare to the United States' tens of thousands," she said.

On Monday, the US recorded almost 38,000 new cases of COVID-19 and 406 deaths.

Other senior members of Ardern's government also pushed back against Trump - in strong language rarely seen from a US ally.



"The American people can work out that we have for a whole day what they every 22 seconds of a day," said Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters. "That speaks for itself."

"We know by now to take everything Donald Trump says with a grain of salt," said Greens leader James Shaw. "But coming from the leader of a country that had 42,000 new cases just yesterday, I think it's an absurd comparison."

Ardern announced on Monday that she would postpone her country's September election by four weeks due to the outbreak.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Cutting Welfare
Publication of UK Child Poverty Strategy Delayed Until Autumn
France Detains UK Fishing Vessel Amid Post-Brexit Tensions
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
Nigel Farage Pledges to Reinstate Winter Fuel Payments
Boris and Carrie Johnson Welcome Daughter Poppy
×