International friendship! Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau brought Ivanka Trump as his guest to a special showing of Broadway’s Come From Away at New York City’s Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on Wednesday, March 15.
The new musical, which opened on March 12, celebrates Canada’s compassion for international travelers stranded in the country after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, when all U.S. flights were grounded. It tells the story of how residents of the small Newfoundland town of Gander opened their hearts and homes to 7,000 people from around the world.
Trudeau, 45, delivered a few remarks to the audience, which included more than 125 ambassadors to the United Nations, who were brought to the show by the Canadian consulate general in New York. “The world gets to see what it is to lean on each other and be there for each other through the darkest times,” he said, according to The New York Times. “There is no relationship quite like the friendship between Canada and the United States. This story, this amazing story, is very much about that, and it’s about friendship as well.”
President Donald Trump’s eldest daughter, 35, took in the show sitting between Trudeau and Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Afterward, the actors received a standing ovation, and Ivanka was seen smiling and clapping during the curtain call, NBC reports.
The show arrives amid the ongoing national debate over welcoming foreigners. President Trump has signed several versions of a travel ban, which now aims to stop people from six predominantly Muslim countries from coming to the U.S. Supporters say it will prevent terrorism and keep the country safe, while critics argue it’s unconstitutional for discriminating based on religion.
