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Mike Pence Gets Silent Treatment In Munich When He Offers Greetings From Trump

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David Krayden Ottawa Bureau Chief
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You might have heard a pin drop when Vice President Mike Pence offered greetings on behalf of President Donald Trump to a Munich security summit on Friday.

There was no applause or cheers — only silence — when Pence said, “I bring greetings from the 45th president of the United States of America, Donald Trump,” according to The Hill.

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 5: U.S. President Donald Trump, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence applaud during the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives at the U.S. Capitol Building on February 5, 2019 in Washington, DC. President Trump's second State of the Union address was postponed one week due to the partial government shutdown. (Photo by Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence applaud during the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives at the U.S. Capitol Building on Feb. 5, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images)

The annual Munich Security Conference is presenting an inaugural scholarship named in honor of the late Republican Arizona Sen. John McCain. Pence is accompanied by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, Democratic Delaware Sen. Christopher Coons and Democratic Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse. (RELATED: Trump Doubts Wisdom Of NATO Expansion, Foreign Policy Establishment Loses It)

Pence didn’t come to mince words, as he reminded the collective security club that contributing members “still need to do more” to pay their fair share of the defense bill.

Despite complaints from some NATO countries that the commitment is onerous, all members agreed in 2014 to achieve defense spending at two percent of the of their respective GDPs. NATO’s top civilian has praised Trump for demanding members meet their financial obligations. (RELATED: ‘Very Stable Genius:’ Trump Declares Victory After Successful NATO Summit)

Repeating charges recently made by U.S. intelligence chiefs in a presentation to the Senate Intelligence Committee, Pence accused China of stealing technology.

FBI Director Christopher Wray; CIA Director Gina Haspel and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats arrive with other U.S. intelligence community officials to testify before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on “worldwide threats” on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., Jan. 29, 2019. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

“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.

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