Covid 19 coronavirus: Whoopi Goldberg praises Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for being a 'voice of reason' during Covid-19

The View hosts Whoopi Goldberg, third from left, and Meghan McCain, fourth from left, praised female world leaders. Photo / Getty Images

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is being lavished with more praise from overseas with American actress and TV presenter Whoopi Goldberg calling her a "voice of reason who has taken decisive action" during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking on her TV show ABC's The View, Goldberg praised women leaders including Ardern and St Maartens Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs for their quick actions in responding to the global pandemic.

The American talk show last week showed a clip of Jacobs telling her country in a no-nonsense tone to stop moving. "If you don't have the type of bread you have in your house, eat crackers. If you do not have bread, eat cereal, eat oats, eat sardines."

Ardern's more empathetic approach was also highlighted when she addressed the country from her office on March 21 when she spoke of how New Zealand had moved to fight it by "going hard and going early".

Goldberg then posed the question about why the US had not embraced female leadership like other countries had.

Her co-host Meghan McCain said Ardern had been a really "fascinating person" for her to watch.

She spoke how Ardern had been one of the first to lock down her country and to ban travel from China.

She went on to say how 88 per cent of her country trusted her as prime minister and her leadership which she described as "an unfathomable number".

McCain, who is American columnist, author and television personality, went on to talk about Ardern taking a 20 per cent pay cut and how she was pregnant in office.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is being praised overseas for her leadership around Covid-19. Photo / File

"She's been a really interesting role model for me on a personal level for me because I'm looking at a lot of woman like that who are strong and independent and who happen to be pregnant and their pregnancy isn't their entire identity. More women like Jacinda Ardern is really something I think America could take a page out of and I think she's a really interesting international figure to watch."

• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website

German chancellor Angela Merkel was also recognised by another co-host Sunny Hostin for her good honest leadership and sharing "pure unadulterated facts".