Donald Trump thanks 'Darth Vader' at recent conference and the audience's 'awkward' reaction says it all

Donald Trump has left people seriously confused after he thanked Darth Vader during a lunch at the new 'Rose Garden Club' on Tuesday (21 October).

Yes, really - the Star Wars villain got a special shoutout in the 79-year-old American president's speech.

For those who missed it, the world leader had invited Senate Republicans along to the newly-renovated space, where they gathered under yellow umbrellas and reportedly tucked into cheeseburgers, fries, and sipped on Diet Cokes.

It's been described as a show of party unity amid the ongoing US government shutdown, which began on October 1.

As per Politico, Senate Majority Leader John Thune told the attendees: “This is the fourth week of the Democrat shutdown, but we are all here today because your Republican team in the Senate is unified.

"Everybody here has voted now 11 different times to open up the government, and we are going to keep voting to open up the government."

He defiantly added: "Eventually, the Democrats, hopefully sooner or later, are going to come around.”

I know what you're thinking - how on Earth does Darth Vader fit into this event?

Well, it turns out, Trump was actually referring to one of his own staff members when he mentioned the fictional villain - not the nicest compliment.

He introduced White House budget director Russ Vought as Darth Vader, which led to some very awkward delayed clapping.

Trump said: "We have Darth Vader. You know Darth Vader, right? Darth Vader is a man who is sitting - is that Darth? Stand up please Darth. Does everybody know - they call him Darth Vader, I call him a fine man."

He bizarrely continued: "But he's cutting Democrat priorities and they're never gonna get them back."

As per Pro Republica, Vought is 'the architect of Trump’s broader plan to fire civil servants, freeze government programs and dismantle entire agencies'.

Reacting to the strange comparison on social media, with one Twitter user penning: "For God's sake, this is embarrassing! I can't listen to it anymore. I'd laugh about it if things weren't so serious in America."

A second added: "Having the nickname Darth Vader is not as much of an honor as they think it is. But hey, if you want to call yourself an evil empire and have the brutal enforcer nicknamed Darth Vader among you, nobody will stop you. It is just another look inside the Trump administration."

While a third joked: "Does he know that Darth Vader betrays his master at the end?" and a fourth baffled person questioned: "Great job Darth. How is this real life?"

And others brutally wrote: "This is insulting to Vader" and "Trump being responsible for laying all those people up and trying to get rid of health care and food assistance is definitely Darth Vader levels of evil."