Q: Which U.S. president drove Billy Graham into a river?
A: Lyndon B. Johnson
Billy Graham and President Lyndon B. Johnson had a special friendship. Once, on a visit to Johnson’s ranch in Texas, the president invited Billy and Ruth Graham to ride in a special car of his.
The Grahams got in the car and Johnson took off at full throttle. They were speeding along the riverbank when the president suddenly veered off into the Pedernales River.
“For a second I believed he was suicidal,” writes Billy Graham in his autobiography, Just As I Am. “But the engine kept going, and so did we. The car turned out to be an amphibious vehicle that carried us along on the current like a boat.”
After the ride, Johnson commented that most people jump out before the boat hits the water.
“You’re the president,” Ruth Graham retorted, according to Billy Graham. “I figured you knew what you were doing!”
Johnson was a charismatic man whose personality filled a room whenever he entered. Teasing was just another facet of his character.
“Johnson loved to catch people off-guard or throw them off-balance,” Billy Graham writes.
And on this particular day, he succeeded in giving the Grahams an unforgettable ride.
See photos of Billy Graham with U.S. presidents throughout the years.
