Mike Pence heads to Europe to assuage fears about Trump


On Friday, Vice President Mike Pence will lead a delegation of Trump administration officials to Germany for the annual Munich Security Conference, and his first trip abroad as vice president is expected to focus on reassuring allies nervous about President Trump's comments and actions. Trump's shifting position on NATO, support for Britain's EU exit, perceived closeness to Russia, and "America First" mantra have raised "an unbelievable number of questions," says Wolfgang Ischinger, a conference organizer. "We're all hoping the American vice president will give a statement on... all of these questions that we in the past weeks have wondered: 'What does America under Trump really want?'"
Pence will speak at the Munich conference on Saturday, along with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, then meet with EU and NATO officials on Sunday and Monday. European leaders will be trying to gain insight into what Trump wants, and how much influence Pence has over the unpredictable U.S. president. The firing of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn showed Pence "he remains very much a junior partner in the still-forming White House power structure, The Wall Street Journal reports, and that was "a startling revelation for a vice president who has shown only loyalty and deference to a boss who has no experience in governing and a flashy style that cuts against the former Indiana governor's religious beliefs."
Other members of Pence's entourage include Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, and there is a separate U.S. congressional delegation. At a meeting of NATO defense ministers on Wednesday, Mattis said that Trump has "strong support for NATO" but wants other member nations to spend more on defense. Pence will be the main attraction, however, and the Europeans are "willing to give him a chance," Julianne Smith, a deputy national security adviser to Pence's predecessor, Joe Biden, tells The Associated Press. "This is the opportunity for the administration to reassure very skittish allies across the European continent and beyond."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs
-
Trump pauses all new foreign student visas
speed read The State Department has stopped scheduling interviews with those seeking student visas in preparation for scrutiny of applicants' social media
-
Trump pardons Virginia sheriff convicted of bribery
speed read Former sheriff Scott Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal bribery and fraud charges
-
Germany lifts Kyiv missile limits as Trump, Putin spar
speed read Russia's biggest drone and missile attacks of the war prompted Trump to post that Putin 'has gone absolutely CRAZY!'
-
Tied Supreme Court blocks church charter school
speed read The court upheld the Oklahoma Supreme Court's decision to bar overtly religious public charter schools
-
GOP megabill would limit judicial oversight of Trump
speed read The domestic policy bill Republicans pushed through the House would protect the Trump administration from the consequences of violating court orders