What if other presidents had told Trumpian lies?

All presidents lie. They do it for different reasons – to protect national security, push unpopular legislation, cover up wrongdoing or gain authority not otherwise granted. Some of our greatest presidents have told some of the biggest lies, but no president has ever told so many needless lies about so many trivial things that are so easily debunked as our current faux president, Donald J. Trump.

Here’s a look at some big presidential lies and what might have happened if former presidents had told other lies in Donald Trumpian style:

Lyndon Johnson

The big lie: In 1964, Johnson fabricated an unprovoked attack on a U.S. warship in Vietnam’s Gulf of Tonkin in order to justify a massive air strike against the Viet Cong. Congress then passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution authorizing the president to escalate the Vietnam War.

Trumpian lie: “Lee Harvey Oswald was never in Russia and had no connection to any Russians before he shot President Kennedy. He was a conservative Republican from Tennessee who was upset that Nixon lost the last election. And there were no Russians on the Grassy Knoll. The whole Oswald-Russia-assassination story is fake news from the failing New York Times.”

Ronald Reagan

Big lie: In 1985, Reagan lied about a plan to free hostages in Iran by having Israel ship missiles to Iran. The U.S. would resupply Israel with the missiles, and the U.S. would receive the cash that had been paid for the missiles. That cash would then go to Nicaragua to fund the Contra rebels who were fighting to take down the elected Sandinista government.

Trumpian lie: “I never said that Russia was an ‘evil empire.’ That was illegally leaked by the nut job director of the FBI. I have looked into Mr. Gorbachev’s eyes and I have seen his soul. I think we can be friends. The Berlin wall was erected by disenchanted Germans from a Volkswagen factory who couldn’t agree on the spelling of ‘fahrvergnügen.’ Russia had nothing to do with it, and it fell down on its own because of shoddy workmanship.”

John F. Kennedy

Big lie: Early in 1961, when rumblings of a possible invasion of Castro’s Cuba leaked out, Kennedy said, "I have previously stated, and I repeat now, that the United States plans no military intervention in Cuba." Just months later, Cuban nationals, backed by the CIA, invaded Cuba at the Bay of Pigs.

Trumpian lie: “There is no evidence that Russia is building missile launchers in Cuba or sending ships to Cuba loaded with missiles and warheads. It could be China doing it or another country or even a 400-pound man sitting on a bed in his mother’s basement. These supposed CIA images have been photoshopped and the story was fabricated by Jeff Bezos and the tax-evading Washington Post.”

Abraham Lincoln

Big lie: Running for office, Lincoln said, “Do the people of the South really entertain fears that a Republican administration would…interfere with their slaves? If they do, I wish to assure you…that there is no cause for such fears.” In 1863, Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation freeing the slaves.

Trumpian lie: “Seven score and 14 years from now, we will be engaged in a great civil war between conservative Republicans concerned about the adoption of Russian children and their liberal enemies who believe in bogus conspiracy theories about email hacking and election dirty tricks. But people are saying that this nation, under a staunchly conservative Christian God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the Trumps, by the Trumps and for the Trumps, shall not perish from the earth."

Barack Obama

Big lie: “If you like your health-care plan, you can keep it.” Then the Affordable Care Act went into effect and at least 2 million Americans started receiving cancellation notices.

Trumpian lie: “Hillary Clinton didn’t even have an email server and didn’t use email, period. That was propaganda generated by a Russian Twitter bot and reported by Alex Jones, Breitbart and Fox News. That’s why I put those sanctions on Russia.”

Donald J. Trump

Big lies: “We will build a big, beautiful wall along our southern border and Mexico will pay for it. One hundred percent. And repealing Obamacare on Day 1 will be easy."

Trumpian lies: “The whole Russia story is a hoax. No collusion. No obstruction. It's the biggest witch hunt in history.”

Also:

“I had the largest inauguration crowd in history.”

“No president has done more than me in the first 100 days.”

“No president has done more than me in the first 200 days.”

“I won the popular vote when you subtract the illegal votes. I won more Electoral College votes than anyone.”

“I hold the record for the most Newsweek covers.”

“I’m bringing back all the coal jobs.”

“The Boy Scouts called me to say I gave the greatest speech ever.”

“The president of Mexico called to praise my immigration plan.”

“Barack Obama was born in Kenya, not Hawaii. I have people in Hawaii and you won’t believe what they’re finding.”

“I will never go on vacation. I’ll be too busy to play golf.”

“I will never lie to you.”

And at least one thousand more…