U.S. Navy sailors were ordered to applaud for Vice President Mike Pence as if they were in a “strip club” while Pence delivered a speech aboard the USS Harry S. Truman on Tuesday.
“Clap like we’re at a strip club,” Command Master Chief Jonas Carter, the ship’s most senior enlisted sailor, told sailors.
The remarks were confirmed by a public information officer for the Truman.
“We can confirm that this statement was made by USS Harry S. Truman’s Command Master Chief to Truman’s Sailors, prior to the arrival of the Vice President,” Lt. Cmdr. Laura Stegherr said in a statement to CNN.
“This statement was inappropriate, and this issue is being addressed by Truman’s leadership,” she added.
Although the Pentagon planned to decommission the USS Harry S. Truman, Pence announced that the aircraft carrier would not be decommissioned. President Trump echoed similar sentiments on Wednesday and said it would be “updated at a fraction of the cost of a new one.”
