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.
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.
"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
-
Can foster care overhaul stop ‘exodus’ of carers?Today’s Big Question Government announces plans to modernise ‘broken’ system and recruit more carers, but fostering remains unevenly paid and highly stressful
-
6 exquisite homes with vast acreageFeature Featuring an off-the-grid contemporary home in New Mexico and lakefront farmhouse in Massachusetts
-
Film reviews: ‘Wuthering Heights,’ ‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die,’ and ‘Sirat’Feature An inconvenient love torments a would-be couple, a gonzo time traveler seeks to save humanity from AI, and a father’s desperate search goes deeply sideways
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policySpeed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs
-
Bondi, Democrats clash over Epstein in hearingSpeed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi ignored survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and demanded that Democrats apologize to Trump
-
El Paso airspace closure tied to FAA-Pentagon standoffSpeed Read The closure in the Texas border city stemmed from disagreements between the Federal Aviation Administration and Pentagon officials over drone-related tests
-
Judge blocks Trump suit for Michigan voter rollsSpeed Read A Trump-appointed federal judge rejected the administration’s demand for voters’ personal data
-
US to send 200 troops to Nigeria to train armySpeed Read Trump has accused the West African government of failing to protect Christians from terrorist attacks
-
Grand jury rejects charging 6 Democrats for ‘orders’ videoSpeed Read The jury refused to indict Democratic lawmakers for a video in which they urged military members to resist illegal orders
