Johnson struggles to explain Trump's threat: 'He and I are saying exactly the same thing'

House Speaker Mike Johnson struggled Tuesday to explain away former President Donald Trump's demand that he shut down the federal government should controversial legislation fail to pass.

Johnson said he and Trump were equally committed to passing the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or SAVE, Act hours after telling Punchbowl News' Jake Sherman he didn't want to shut down the government.

“He and I are saying exactly the same thing," Johnson told Punchbowl News' Melanie Zanona.

Zanona pointed to Trump's Truth Social post Tuesday in which the former president and Republican presidential nominee threw full support behind a shutdown.

"If Republicans in the House, and Senate, don’t get absolute assurances on Election Security, THEY SHOULD, IN NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM, GO FORWARD WITH A CONTINUING RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET," Trump wrote. "THE DEMOCRATS ARE TRYING TO 'STUFF' VOTER REGISTRATIONS WITH ILLEGAL ALIENS. DON’T LET IT HAPPEN - CLOSE IT DOWN!!!"

Johnson replied to Zanona, “He’s trying to make the point, as I am, that this is critically important."

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But the SAVE Act does not appear to be critically important to Republicans who are showing signs of doubt it can pass — and fear what it's defeat could do to Trump's campaign, Politico reported Tuesday afternoon.

Nor is it important to critics who say the SAVE Act — which would mandate would-be voters prove their U.S. citizenship to register — cracks down on a unproven problem already banned by federal law.

House Democrats are likely to vote against the SAVE Act with Appropriations Democrat Rep. Rosa DeLauro calling it "reckless" and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries dubbing it "dead on arrival," Politico reported.

A looming deadline puts extra pressure on Johnson.

Congress has only funded the federal government until the end of the fiscal year ending on Sept. 30, at which point it must pass a stopgap measure or continuing resolution to reset the clock until a new spending bill is approved.