Jacinda Ardern's swipe at Donald Trump's ‘America First' policy during Yale University speech
Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has appeared to take a swipe at the Trump Administration while giving a speech to graduating students at the prestigious American Ivy League, Yale University.
Dame Jacinda, who has been living in the US as a Havard University fellow, spoke at Yale College's Class Day about 'impostor syndrome' and the need for traits that may be considered 'weak' by some, such as sensitivity and empathy, in the world and among leadership.
But the 44-year-old said felt she an obligation to stray from the traditional address.
'That was to be the main message of my address to you today; the usual 'we need you' and 'don't doubt yourself' pep talk that perhaps you might expect at this juncture in your life. But as I sat down to pen these words, that suddenly didn't feel enough,' she said.
'Not when the world, over the course of a few short months, moved from tumultuous to an all-out dumpster fire.
'Telling you, you should be bold and brave as you move into the world didn't feel like enough.'
'There's the war in the Middle East and Europe, with both leaving questions over our sense of humanity, the daily reminder of climate change that bangs on our door but falls on deaf ears at the highest echelons of power, challenges to rules around trade, increases in migration flows and a decreasing regard for civil rights and human rights, including the right to be who you are.'
Dame Jacinda, who threw her support behind Kamala Harris in the 2024 US election, was met with applause.
'Not to mention an environment rife with mis- and disinformation fuelling not what I would characterise as polarisation, but entrenchment,' she continued. 'Views dug down so deeply and held so strongly, they are like pieces of flint, becoming explosive slightest touch.
'We're living in a time where the small are made to feel smaller and those with power loom large.'
Dame Jacinda said people needed an income safety net, and access to health and education to weather the storm.
'Some of the greatest leaders here in the United States have recognised this, that amongst all of the challenges politicians face, they must meet the most basic needs of their citizens, first and foremost,' she said.
'In fact, FDR (former US President Franklin D Roosevelt) said in 1944, while still governing a country at war, 'true individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.''
Dame Jacinda said fear and isolationism are against the world's long-term self-interest.
'The illusion that closing yourself off from the world somehow means you are simply prioritising your own people ignores just how connected we are,' she said.
She acknowledged while she had lived in the US for two years, she was not American and could not fully appreciate history, culture or politics. However, she said she had observed that the US had long been pushed and pulled between the sense of obligation to its own country and the world.
'But each time there is a crisis, a war, an infectious disease that grips us or climate change that these two things are not in fact a trade off. They are linked,' she said.
'You cannot remain untouched by the impacts of infectious disease. A trade stand-off can never just hurt your competitors. A warming planet does not produce extreme weather that respects borders, and far-flung wars may not take the lives of your citizens but it will take away their sense of security and humanity.
'We are connected. We always have been.'
US President Donald Trump, who was inaugurated on January 21 this year, has been vocal about his 'America First' policy.
One of his most controversial decisions with impacts across the globe were his sweeping so-called 'Liberation Day' tariffs, which were imposed in early April and then suspended for 90 days to allow negotiations.
Dame Jacinda concluded: 'Remind one another that to be outwardly looking is not unpatriotic, to seek solutions to global problems is not a zero-sum game where your nation loses, that upholding a rules-based order is not nostalgic or of another era, and crucially, that in this time of crisis and chaos leading with empathy is a strength.
'Empathy has never started a war, never sought to take the dignity of others, and empathy teaches you that power is interchangeable with another word, responsibility.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Iran could be banned from the 2026 World Cup in USA over bombings
Iran could be spectacularly banned from participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup amid the threat of war between the Islamic Republic and tournament host nation USA. The national team back in March were the sixth team to qualify for the tournament set to take place in America, Mexico and Canada next year, but the latest air strikes on the country's nuclear facilities have the world watching on with ongoing military tensions continuing to escalate. The situation makes it unlikely Team Melli — Iran's national football team — will be playing games on US soil. Their fourth successive World Cup appearance is now in serious jeopardy. A tournament ban is a genuine possibility given several teams have been barred from international tournaments previously on the basis that warring nations cannot participate. Russia have been indefinitely suspended by FIFA since invading Ukraine while FIFA and UEFA also banned Yugoslavia during 1990s as a result of the Balkans conflict. Even if Iran do participate in next year's tournament, they are most likely to be without supporters as the country remains on President Donald Trump's banned travel list which bars citizens from travelling to America. The decision was made back in March and included severe travel restrictions to over 40 countries including Iran, Afghanistan, the Republic of Congo, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and others. Exemptions will most likely be granted for the team and associated staff only. There is no associated ban from Mexico and Canada, who will host the other 26 matches of the tournament. With the schedule already drawn up to decide cities, date and stages, the best case scenario would be for Iran to be drawn into Group A and play all three group stage matches in Mexico. However, any progress to the knockout stages means the side will play at least one match in America, creating a logistic nightmare for organisers. Meanwhile, Iran and Inter Milan striker Milan Mehdi Taremi has found himself stuck in his home country in the capital city of Tehran amid the ongoing war with no way of getting out. Taremi was named by Inter in the 32 man squad for the ongoing FIFA Club World Cup in the US, but is unable to join his side as the conflict continues. The 32-year-old initially flew back to Iran to compete in their qualifiers against Qatar and North Korea and to accept Iran's footballer of the Year award, and planned to leave for Los Angeles straight after but was left stranded. It was Taremi's two goals in the 2-2 draw against Uzbekistan that sealed his sides World Cup qualification back in March, but the striker has now been left stranded as his club scrambles to find a way out. It is reported that Inter president Giuseppe Marotta has been in contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Italian ambassador to Tehran to find a way out for the Milan striker, but has been unsuccessful. The player himself is said to been in constant contact with teammates, who won their most recent group stage match against Urawa Reds.
SBS Australia
an hour ago
- SBS Australia
SBS Filipino Radio Program, Monday 23 June 2025
US President Donald Trump said the United States bombed three nuclear sites in Iran — describing it as a successful operation. With the upcoming tax return filing in Australia, what should you know? Amid the cold weather in Melbourne, Filipinos in Australia had heated and various reactions to the visit of Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte. SBS Filipino 20/06/2025 41:28 📢 Where to Catch SBS Filipino
The Australian
3 hours ago
- The Australian
Coalition and Jewish leaders welcome ‘courageous' move Tony Abbott Scott Morrison
Two former Liberal prime ministers, the Coalition and Australian Jewish leaders have backed US President Donald Trump after he authorised strikes on three major Iranian nuclear sites, while the Greens condemned the attacks for causing an 'escalation in violence'. Both Scott Morrison and Tony Abbott issued statements of support for the 'necessary' attacks on the Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan facilities, with Mr Morrison arguing there was 'no other option' to prevent Iran from mobilising a nuclear weapon. 'Does anyone welcome events like this? Of course they don't,' Mr Morrison told Sky News on Sunday. 'But this was a necessary event. There were no other options available to the President.' Mr Morrison said the US military was 'the only military in the world' capable of striking Iran in the way it has, and added Mr Trump had shown he was a president who advocates for 'peace through strength'. Mr Morrison said the strikes came only 'after the failure of so many interventions in the past'. 'When all other avenues fail, this is not a President that wishes to rush to these outcomes … but if necessary will,' he said. In a post on X, Mr Abbott said Israel's actions were welcome. 'Israel is doing the world's work in trying to destroy forever the Iranian nuclear weapons program and it's good that America has supported its ally,' he said. Sussan Ley on Sunday issued a similar statement of support for the attacks, saying the world can 'never accept a nuclear-armed Iranian regime'. The Opposition Leader said Iran sought to destroy Australia's allies, and the government should not allow 'the Iranian regime the capacity to enact its objectives of the destruction of the United States and Israel'. 'It was made clear by the International Atomic and Energy Agency on 12 June that Iran was in breach of its Non-Proliferation Treaty obligations after stockpiling more than 400kg of 60 per cent enriched uranium at Fordow, the last step in enrichment towards a nuclear weapon,' she said. 'The world can never accept a nuclear-armed Iranian regime and today the United States military has taken proactive action to ensure that we never need to. A nuclear-armed Iranian regime would be a serious and direct threat to world peace and stability, especially as it continues to engage in terrorism including by supporting its proxies: Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.' She said the Coalition 'stands with the United States'. Acting opposition foreign affairs spokesman Andrew Hastie said the Albanese government's response to the strikes was 'far too ambiguous', after an unnamed government spokesperson called for 'de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy'. 'The United States is a close ally. The United States has a key role in re-establishing order and peace in the Middle East,' he said. 'And Iran, by contrast, is a regime that sponsors terrorism. It sponsored Hamas, Hezbollah.' Liberal senator David Sharma said the Albanese government's attitude towards growing tensions between Israel and Iran was 'unanchored from reality'. He told Sky News Labor had been 'calling for dialogue between Israel and Iran'. 'These countries have not had diplomatic relations for 46 years,' he said. Senator Sharma said Australia should focus on the 'outcome we want' not the 'process that needs to be gone through'. 'The outcome that is clearly in Australia's national interest is an Iran that is no longer able to pursue nuclear weapons, does not support armed terrorist groups in the region, and does not harbour imperialistic designs to its neighbours and does not amass thousands of ballistic missiles,' he said. Greens defence spokesman David Shoebridge slammed Labor for being complicit in the 'escalation in violence' in the Middle East, calling for Australia to distance itself from the US. Mr Shoebridge told the ABC the Albanese government should back out of the AUKUS agreement to ensure Australia is a 'force for peace'. 'At this moment, being silent when a bully like Donald Trump breaks international law and starts the United States' third war in the region just this century, being silent is complicit in that escalation and violence,' he said. 'Where is the red line the Albanese government has for the escalation and violence?' He called on Labor to 'make a clear statement' that 'no military base in Australia, whether a joint military base with the United States or otherwise, will be used for this unfolding US war'. The Palestine Action Group organised an anti-Israel protest in Sydney on Sunday, calling for the Albanese government to 'stop supporting (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and Trump's war'. In Melbourne, protesters marched from the State Library to the US Consulate waving Iranian and Palestinian flags, calling on America to 'stop attacking Iran'. The Australian/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council praised the 'welcome' assaults on the Iranian sites, saying the US attacks would support Australia's national security interests. Executive director Colin Rubenstein described the Fordow underground nuclear site as 'the linchpin of the Iranian nuclear program' and said the US strike on the facility 'provides much greater confidence that Iran's illegal pursuit of nuclear weapons capabilities will not be reconstituted any time soon'. 'US President Trump deserves congratulations for making a difficult but essential and courageous decision to intervene in the interests of not only the US, but of global security and stability – including Australia's national security interests,' Mr Rubenstein said. 'We now hope and pray the war between Iran and Israel can be brought to a rapid close and measures put in place that guarantee the rogue regime in Iran is never again able to present a similar menace to its neighbours, to international stability, or to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Agreement.' Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler says the US attacks were a 'necessary and courageous response to an urgent threat'. 'The Iranian regime has for years pursued nuclear weapons while sponsoring terrorism that has killed thousands of Israelis, Americans, and others,' he said. 'Iran's actions are not just a danger to Israel, they are a clear and present threat to the West and the international rules-based order. 'We commend President Trump and the United States for their moral clarity and leadership in taking decisive action.' Read related topics: Donald TrumpGreens Ellie Dudley Legal Affairs Correspondent Ellie Dudley is The Australian's legal affairs correspondent covering courts, justice and changes to the legal profession. She edits The Australian's weekly legal newsletter, Ipso Facto, and won Young Journalist of the Year in 2024 at both the Kennedy Awards and the News Awards. Music Its past two Australian tours sold one million tickets in total, and the passage of time has not diminished demand for what the promoter describes as 'the world's greatest rock 'n' roll band'. Politics An additional $12.7m in funding for the Queensland childcare regulator will be announced in this week's state budget, helping to bolster staff numbers and ensure kids are kept safe.
