US VP faces embarrassing silence at Munich Security Conference

US Vice President Mike Pence faces an embarrassing silence while addressing American allies at Munich Security Conference.

As if to expect an applause, Pence told the audience emphatically that “I bring greetings from the 45th president of the United States of America, Donald Trump,” before pausing to see the reaction, which was nothing but silence.

Addressing U.S. allies at the Munich Security Conference, Mike Pence is met with silence as he tells the audience: "I bring greetings from the 45th president of the United States of America, President Donald Trump." 

— Axios (@axios) February 16, 2019

The 59-year-old traveled to Germany along with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senators Lindsey Graham, Christopher Coons and Sheldon Whitehouse.

Pence’s visit was aimed at pursuing President Donald Trump’s “America First” policies.

"The United States expects every NATO member to put in place a credible plan to meet the 2 percent threshold. And, by 2024, we expect all our allies to invest 20 percent of defense spending on procurement," he said at an award ceremony on Friday for the first recipients of a scholarship commemorating the late Senator John McCain, asserting that members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization "still need to do more."

The US vice president also lashed out at Russia and China before their delegates.

“Under President Trump’s leadership, the United States has also made it clear that China must address the longstanding issues of intellectual-property theft, forced technology transfer, and other structural issues in China that have placed a burden on our economy and on economies around the world,” he said.

Pence described Trump’s presidency "remarkable" and "extraordinary,” claiming that "America is stronger than ever before and America is leading on the world stage once again.”

This is while European leaders are fed up with Trump's erratic rhetoric, also pursued by his vice president.

ME