Vice President Pence defends Trump's unfounded claim that prior President back his idea of a border wall as just an 'impression'

It’s just the impression that he gets.

Vice President Pence said Tuesday that President Trump's unfounded claim that his predecessors endorsed his idea of a wall along the southern U.S. border was only an “impression.”

Last week, during a Rose Garden appearance in which he made several false statements, the President said that he has been contacted by “some” of the four living former Presidents who told him they wished they’d built a border wall.

Pence told NBC's “Today” show on Tuesday, “I know the president has said that was his impression from previous presidents.”

RELATED: Thousands nationwide protest family separations at U.S.-Mexico border

Spokespeople for all four have since denied such communication ever occurred.

Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush said they had not discussed the wall with Trump. Barack Obama's office reiterated his opposition to the wall.

Trump and administration officials have repeatedly made misleading and false claims about the border as they push Democrats to sign off on a request for more than $5 billion in funds for a wall.

A partial government shutdown that began on Dec. 22 has left 800,000 without pay for nearly three weeks.

Pence said he's seen “clips of previous presidents talking about the importance of border security and the importance of addressing illegal immigration.”

Trump will deliver an Oval Office address Tuesday night in which he is expected to lay out his case for a wall, which he previously promised would be paid for by Mexico.