Bryan Cranston Imagines LBJ's Reaction to Trump: 'What the Hell Is Goin' On?'
"He'd say somethin' like, What the hell is goin' on in Washington?'"
— -- Faced with the prospect of a President Donald Trump, what would Lyndon B. Johnson do?
Actor Bryan Cranston made an educated guess.
“He’d say somethin' like, 'What the hell is goin' on in Washington? This guy is gonna be the Republican leader? My God, things have changed since I've been here!'” said Cranston, channeling his best LBJ impression -- which is pretty good, likely because it’s well-practiced.
ABC News caught up with Cranston, who reprises his starring stage role as LBJ in HBO’s film adaptation of “All The Way.” The Johnson biopic focuses on Johnson’s first years in office following President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, and specifically on his work with Martin Luther King, Jr., to pass civil rights laws through a polarized Congress and a divided country.
Asked if there are parallels between America’s political landscape now and that in the film, Cranston looked straight to 2016.
“This presidential election is unlike anything we've ever seen. And talk about power: We have a power broker as the presumptive Republican presidential candidate who is devoid of substance, so he has power without substance,” he said, referencing Trump.
“I will do everything in my power to make sure that he's not the president,” Cranston added.
For more of the interview with Bryan Cranston and more on HBO’s “All The Way” -- including Cranston showing ABC News’ Rick Klein what the “Johnson Treatment” really looked and felt like -- watch the video above.