Mike Pence Calls Border ‘A Real Humanitarian & Security Crisis’ As He Defends Trump’s Credibility

Vice President Mike Pence has come forward to defend Donald Trump against alleged falsehoods. With Trump’s controversial address on the border wall set to air Tuesday night, there has been a growing outcry against the president’s shaky credibility. And when pressed about these stories, according to ABC News, the vice president immediately went on the defensive, calling the border situation “a real humanitarian and security crisis.”

In an interview with Good Morning America, Pence addressed the accusations of lying, as well as Trump’s impending prime-time address. The vice president insisted that the focus should remain on border security and the wall, and not be derailed by a debate on the accuracy of the president’s statements.

“Look, the American people aren’t as concerned about the political debate as they are about what’s really happening at the border,” Pence said to ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl.

Since the partial government shutdown began, Trump has reportedly been caught making false statements. As recently as Friday, Trump claimed that “some” of the four living former presidents have reached out to him in support of the border wall, saying they wished they had done it during their administrations. All four presidents have since officially denied any such conversation with Donald Trump.

President Trump claimed former US presidents told him they support his plan for a wall along the Southern border. But Carter, Clinton, Bush, and Obama all said they've had no such conversation with the sitting president https://t.co/n3m3oVl3Yz

— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) January 8, 2019

When Karl continued asking Pence about the president’s falsehoods, Pence argued that Trump is simply passionate about protecting the American people, and that is why he’s working so hard to get the wall built and end the government shutdown.

“The passion you hear from President Trump is determination to take this case to the American people as he will tonight in his national broadcast from the Oval Office — comes from the president’s deep desire to protect the American people,” Pence said.

The vice president refused to comment on whether or not Trump intends to declare a “national emergency” over border security. This would allow him to begin building the wall without lawmakers’ approval. Although Trump has not made this move yet, he’s indicated that he’s willing to if Democrats are unwilling to concede to his demands.

Democrats, for their part, have held firm against Trump’s request to build the $5 billion border wall between America and Mexico. Trump has stated that he will allow the partial government shutdown to go on for months — or even years — in the fight to get his wall built.

“We need new resources,” Pence said. “We need to build a wall. We need the Congress to come to the table and work with this president to address this crisis once and for all.”