New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has once again proved she is the embodiment of class and restraint, choosing to rebuke radio host Alan Jones’ offensive comments with a hilarious – and artful – stab.
The 2GB host has been slammed for comments he made last week suggesting Prime Minister Scott Morrison should “shove a sock down” Ardern’s throat, after she urged Australia to take stronger action on climate change.
“This lightweight New Zealand Prime Minster Jacinda Ardern is challenging Scott Morrison over climate change. Now I hope Scott Morrison gets tough here with a few backhanders … hasn’t got a clue this woman,” Jones, 78, said on his program last week.
“She’s a clown, Jacinda Ardern, a complete clown. I just wonder whether Scott Morrison is going to be fully briefed to shove a sock down her throat.” Jones said.
He went on to describe her as “a swallower” of the climate change “hoax” and a “joke”.
“She is a joke, this woman … an absolute and utter lightweight,” he later said on social media.
Jacinda Ardern is the popular PM of New Zealand.
(Image: Getty Images)Until now, Ardern has chosen to ignore the comments, even as key 2GB advertisers including Koala and Anytime Fitness slammed Jones and pulled their sponsorship deals with the station.
“I don’t know that I’m going to give that the light of day, that comment. I think I’ll just leave it where it is,” she said last week.
But on Tuesday morning, Ardern responded directly to Jones’ comments in the absolute best way possible.
“I am a politician, I am open for criticism and of course, we should all be held to account and the idea that any politician could or should be protected, I absolutely rally against that. You should see my social media,” she told New Zealand radio station The AM Show.
“We sign up for that when we are politicians. I have tried very hard, specifically on this Alan Jones comment, you won’t find me having particularly reacted or responded.
“I don’t have an opinion on every single person that says something about me, particularly given this is an Australian commentator. We have enough of our own to occupy my time.”
Alan Jones is a right-wing radio host on 2GB.
(Image: Getty Images)But it was her brilliant sledge about Australia’s performance against New Zealand in the Bledisloe Cup on Saturday – the All Blacks thrashed the Wallabies with an embarrassing 36-0 final score, winning the tournament for the 17th year in a row – that really stuck the knife in.
“I understand he used to be closely linked to the Wallabies, so let’s just say that revenge is best served through a Bledisloe Cup,” Ardern joked.
Alan Jones famously coached the Wallabies between 1984 and 1988.
Jacinda Ardern presents the Bledisloe Cup to All Blacks captain Kieran Read on Saturday night.
(Image: Getty Images)It’s not the first time Jones has made a gendered attacked on a high profile female.
In 2012, he said then Prime Minister Julia Gillard should be “put in a chaff bag and thrown into the sea” and has previously argued that female leaders are “destroying the joint”.
In the midst of widespread public outrage about Jones’ comments, 2GB advertisers including Anytime Fitness, ME Bank, Bing Lee, RSL Art Union, Amart, Mercedes Benz, Snooze, Bunnings, Total Tools and Big W have all pulled their ads.
WATCH BELOW: Jacinda Ardern on juggling her Prime Ministership with motherhood. Story continues after video.
Macquarie Media chairman Russell Tate, Jones’ boss, says the future of Jones’ employment may be up for discussion if he continues to make comments like this in the future.
“Notwithstanding his apologies, I have today [Saturday] discussed the matter with Alan and advised him that any recurrence of commentary of this nature will result in the termination of his contract,” Mr Tate said on Saturday night.
