US navy told to 'clap like we're at a strip club' for Mike Pence

The vice president announced onboard that the ship will not be retired, following weeks of speculation

Vice President Mike Pence at the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum on April 26 (Getty Images)

US Navy sailors were instructed to “clap like we’re at a strip club” for Vice President Mike Pence.

The instruction was given by a senior officer just before the vice president’s visit to the USS Harry S Truman on April 30. It was reported by WTKR-TV’s Brendon Ponton on Twitter.

In a statement to CNN, Lt Cmdr Laura Stegherr confirmed the order was given by USS Harry S. Truman's Command Master Chief to Truman's Sailors.

“The statement was inappropriate, and this issue is being addressed by Truman's leadership," she said.

The vice president did not appear to know about or comment on the strip club remark. He did, however, offer surprising news for the sailors: the USS Truman will not be retired.

This news comes after weeks of debate over the administration's own plan for the ship’s retirement by the Department of Defense and top Navy officials. The plan to decommission the ship in order to to free up funds for more modern technology was part of the Trump's 2020 budget proposal.

In an op-ed for for the US Naval Institute’s monthly magazine Proceedings, retired naval captain Robert C Rubel argued that the ship’s retirement was prudent in the wake of “the resurgence of Russia and the rise of China with its increasingly powerful navy.”

However, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have been sceptical of the administration's plan. Both Democratic senators from Virginia, Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, were particularly vocal in their opposition l to the decommission, which would have affected their constituents. Senator Kaine called the proposal "a head-scratcher."

Vice President Pence’s speech to the Truman’s sailors reflected a conversation with President Trump that led to the administration’s decision to keep the ship afloat.

"I told [the president] about some of the discussion about possibly retiring the USS Truman,” Mr Pence said, according to a report by WTKR. “We talked about her record of success and the president told me, 'You go tell that crew that we're not retiring the Truman.’”

In a tweet sent Wednesday morning, the president confirmed that he will override "the Decommission Order" for the aircraft carrier, which he called “magnificent."

The sudden reversal is being met with frustration at what appears to be a lack of strategy.

"While I am glad the administration ultimately reconsidered this terrible idea," Senator Mark Warren tweeted on Wednesday morning, "the incoherence here has not been good for morale or defence planning."