New Zealand leader Jacinda Ardern plays down claims 'Donald Trump thought she was Justin Trudeau's wife'

US President Donald Trump mistook New Zealand prime minister for Canadian leader Justin Trudeau's wife at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting in Da Nang, Vietnam earlier this month
EPA
Ella Wills20 November 2017

US President Donald Trump "mistook New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for Justin Trudeau's wife" - but she claims it was a misunderstanding blown out of proportion.

Entertainer Tom Sainsbury revealed the blunder on an Auckland radio station, and said Ms Ardern had confided the incident to him after the Vietnam meeting.

Mr Sainsbury also said Ms Ardern had observed the US President was "not as orange in real life" when she met him in Da Nang.

But Ms Ardern has played down the claims, amid concerns she may have caused a "diplomatic incident" with the tale.

Jacinda Ardern denied the gossip, saying the story had been 'changed in the retelling'
Getty Images

The Canadian leader introduced Ms Ardern and Mr Trump last month when the US President reportedly mistook the 37-year-old for Mr Trudeau's wife Sophie.

Ms Ardern was later forced to retract the claims, saying she had told a "yarn" that had been twisted in retelling.

The prime minister said "a third party" at the summit, who she did not name, incorrectly thought Trump had mistaken her identity and she told the story to friends in New Zealand.

"It was a bit of a funny yarn, something I don't want to cause a diplomatic incident over... I think I should never have recounted the story," she told TVNZ.

It was said that Mr Trump had mistaken Ms Ardern for Canadian leader Justin Trudeua's wife Sophie
AP

Mr Sainsbury made the revelation in an interview on The Tea for Two show on RadioLive.

He said: "I'm not sure if I should be saying this, but she said that Donald Trump was confused for a good amount of time, thinking that she was Justin Trudeau's wife."

He then recounted that Ms Ardern had said the US President was "not as orange in real life".

The PM immediately refuted the claim the US president had not known who she was.

"Someone thought the President had confused us, but in all of the conversations we had it was clear to me he hadn't," she said, according to Newshub.

Ms Ardern later said that she had shared the “full story” of her meeting with two friends – including Mr Sainsbury.

“I’m in a circle, I am with someone else, I did not hear the full conversation, they observed what they believe to be mistaken identity, I didn’t pick that up,” she told TVNZ.

“I then had an interaction that suggested he [Donald Trump] knew who I was, that was at the point where I was properly introduced which probably cleared it up.

“Tom’s a mate of mine. I shared a story with him, he shared it with someone else, I can see how that then spirals ... it is a trifling matter.

“It was a bit of a funny yarn, something that I don’t want to cause a diplomatic incident over.

“I think I should never have recounted the story,” Ms Ardern added.

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