Trump fans call Jacinda Ardern 'swamp creature' in vile attack

  • 01/03/2018
Donald Trump fans have attacked Jacinda Ardern on Reddit.
Donald Trump fans have attacked Jacinda Ardern on Reddit. Photo credit: Getty

A group of fanatical Donald Trump fans have launched an unprovoked and malicious attack on Jacinda Ardern.

The onslaught was posted on social media site Reddit, in notoriously offensive subreddit The_Donald.

The_Donald is a breeding ground for sexist and racist comments, as well as animosity toward President Trump's predecessor Barack Obama and his 2016 presidential opponent Hillary Clinton.

The attack highlights the growing problem of cyber attacks on prominent people in an increasingly digital world. 

User Magnokor posted an unflattering photo of Ms Ardern in the subreddit, accompanied by the abhorrent description: "This is New Zealand's Prime Minister. A swamp creature, never had a job, was President of the International Union of Socialist Youth.

"Is unmarried and pregnant. Stole election after finishing a distant second, and now ill Hillary Clinton and evil Barry Obama are going to visit her."

The post prompted a flurry of mean-spirited, misogynistic comments about Ms Ardern. Several people called her a "nasty woman", the remark Mr Trump infamously made about Hillary Clinton during a presidential debate.

"Left leaning female politicians suck," wrote one ignorant user. "For every [Marine] Le Pen there's an [Angela] Merkel."

"She is a socialist and a feminist. That should tell you enough about her," read another comment.

Many users questioned her legitimacy as leader, with one user claiming Ms Ardern was made Prime Minister just because she is "pretty".

"She's a woman! And she's young!" explained another.

"It makes women feel good about themselves. And then she got pregnant about a second after getting elected (not an accident I don't think) and it's played off as something empowering for working mums."

The post prompted criticism of New Zealand's political system, with many of the Subreddit's users baffled by the concept of MMP. 

"How does 2nd place win? Seriously. I want to know," one person demanded.

After someone explained how parliamentary democracy works, another remarked: "Sounds like an awful f**king system."

"New Zealand has a history of weak, incompetent leaders," one user lamented. "Which is a shame, because the average Kiwi is neither of those things."

President Obama will visit New Zealand later in March, while Secretary Clinton will give a talk in Auckland in May. 

Newshub.