The Munich Security Conference is an annual conference designed to discuss international security policy and (per the New York Times) “severe military challenges.” It’s the largest gathering of its kind, attended by world leaders qualified to have those discussions and also, this year, Ivanka Trump.
In a speech at the conference, German Chancellor Angela Merkel directly attacked Donald Trump’s “America First” attitude and his frequent insistence that foreign allies are taking advantage of or posing threats to the United States via trade agreements. The U.S. Commerce Department issued a report to Trump yesterday which was presumed to label European car imports a national security threat. As a result, Trump is reportedly considering imposing tariffs on European car imports.
Merkel took issue with that idea in her speech Saturday, most especially because German cars are largely made right here in the United States. She points out that the largest BMW plant in the world is not in Bavaria, where the company is based, but in South Carolina. The German car lobby also pointed out in their own statement that in recent years, Germany’s car industry has created more than 113,000 jobs in around 300 U.S. factories.
“So when these cars, because they’re built in South Carolina,” Merkel said, “are supposed to be a threat to the national security of America, it’s a bit of a shock to us.”
At that, the crowd of elected leaders and otherwise qualified attendees applauded and laughed. Ivanka Trump, who was also in attendance thanks to her impressive accomplishments in the field of nepotism, did not appear to be a fan of the jab.
Ivanka Trump is the only person in audience who doesn’t applaud after Angela Merkel points out the absurdity of Trump claiming German cars are a national security threat pic.twitter.com/Op11wls73R
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 16, 2019
Mike Pence also had a rough time at the conference. His speech was peppered with what were obviously built-in applause breaks. Which is really uncomfortable when no one in the crowd applauds.
The first awkward silence was when he brought “greetings from the 45th President of America, Donald Trump.” And not even crickets could be bothered to make a sound.
Speaking to a security conference in Munich, Pence tells his audience he brings greetings from President Trump… and not a single person claps. #awkward pic.twitter.com/JkFpsKqfgk
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 16, 2019
It’s so uncomfortable. He just stares at the podium, clearly waiting for applause. Maybe the translators in everyone’s’ earpieces are lagging behind? you can see him thinking. Nope, they just hate him. And me.
And then it happened again.
OMG — Pence was visibly shook in Poland when he received absolutely no reaction to what was clearly supposed to be an applause line about how “the time has come for our European partners to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.” pic.twitter.com/biRxARZkcM
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 16, 2019
Look at that one again. The blank stare, the little head shake. How delightfully cringe-worthy.
This is just brutal pic.twitter.com/NzLgWuLcwP
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 16, 2019
This is a joke but it also feels like just a matter of time before someone at the White House actually says this:
SARAH SANDERS: It was out of respect for our President that world leaders observed a moment of silence during Vice President Pence’s speech in Munich.
— Jeremy Newberger (@jeremynewberger) February 17, 2019
(via HuffPost, image: CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP/Getty Images)
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