Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has spoken with the US president elect Donald Trump.
Since Trump’s landslide victory last week he has spoken with several world leaders, including Russian president Vladimir Putin, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and China’s Xi Jin Ping.
Luxon’s usual interview slot with Morning Report was moved to allow for the call from the United States.
Posting on X, Luxon said New Zealand and the United States had a strong and enduring partnership.
“Good to speak with President-elect @realDonaldTrump this morning to congratulate him on his historic election victory.
“We agreed on the importance of deepening ties between our two nations and I look forward to doing just that.”
New Zealand and the United States have a strong and enduring partnership.
Good to speak with President-elect @realDonaldTrump this morning to congratulate him on his historic election victory.
We agreed on the importance of deepening ties between our two nations and I look… pic.twitter.com/QZdqpII5Sk
— Christopher Luxon (@chrisluxonmp) November 11, 2024
The prime minister is heading to the APEC summit in Peru on Thursday where he will meet outgoing President Joe Biden.
President-elect Trump campaigned on introducing tariffs of up to 20 percent on imported goods as part of his ‘America First’ economic policy.
Luxon has previously warned against jumping to conclusions about Trump policies that might affect New Zealand and has congratulated the Republican on a “comprehensive win”.
“I look forward to working with him and advancing the interests of our great countries,” he said last week.
“I know both sides of the aisle in Washington… I’ve got no doubt we’ll do everything we can to work constructively to move forward together.”
Asked about Trump’s campaigning on trade tariffs which could be bad for New Zealand, Luxon said we needed to wait and see what policies were actually introduced.
Kiwi winemakers are anxiously waiting to see whether he follows through on the promise, with the US market accounting for some 40 percent of New Zealand’s wine exports.
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