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Jacinda Ardern Caught Calling Opposition Party Leader an ‘Arrogant Pr*ck’

She was seemingly unaware that the microphone in front of her picked up the comment.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern apologized to a political rival after a microphone in New Zealand’s parliament caught her calling him an “arrogant prick” on Tuesday. The comment came after Ardern was being grilled by the libertarian opposition Act party’s leader, David Seymour, who asked Ardern to “give an example of her making a mistake, apologizing for it properly, and fixing it.” After Ardern answered, she sat down and muttered to her deputy “such an arrogant prick.” Ardern was seemingly unaware that the microphone in front of her picked up the comment. Around 20 minutes later, Seymour asked the speaker to compel Ardern to apologize and withdraw the remark, but the prime minister had already left the house. Seymour later told media that Ardern texted him to say sorry. Seymour said: “[She] said ‘I apologize, it’s not something I should have said and she said, as my mum would say, if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it.’”