Pence doesn't have a great explanation for Trump's claim about former presidents and the wall

Did President Trump completely fabricate an anecdote about his predecessors' support for the wall?

Vice President Mike Pence was asked this question Tuesday after President Trump claimed last week that "some" past presidents have privately told him they wish they had built a border wall during their administration, only for every living former president to come out with statements denying that any such conversations took place.

When NBC's Hallie Jackson asked Pence about this in an interview, he responded, "I know the president has said that that was his impression from previous administrations." From there, he cited public comments from the former presidents, not one-on-one conversations like Trump was referencing.

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"I know I've seen clips of previous presidents talking about the importance of border security, the importance of addressing the issue of illegal immigration," Pence said.

The vice president faced essentially the same question in another interview Tuesday morning, with ABC's Jonathan Karl asking Pence why Americans should believe Trump when he constantly says things that aren't true, with this claim about past presidents being an example. This time, Pence seemed to suggest that even if what Trump said is false, it doesn't matter.

"The American people aren't as concerned about the political debate as they are concerned about what’s really happening at the border," he said. Watch Pence's comments on Today below. Brendan Morrow