During one such meeting, Johnson asks fellow Texas Senator Ralph Yarborough why he has not endorsed him for the Democratic presidential nomination in the 1960 election, although he has yet to announce.

At the convention, as he is whipping votes, Johnson is confronted on his broken promise by Bobby Kennedy, who gets his revenge by correctly analyzing that the tide has turned in their favour.

Aware of his precarious situation, Johnson tells his advisors he will push for compromise on civil rights, knowing that the Southern Democrats, led by his friend and mentor Senator Richard Russell, will oppose any move made by the Kennedys.

Following this decision, Johnson is further sidelined and his lack of influence is shown when he attempts to convince Kennedy to appoint his friend Sarah T. Hughes as a federal judge, a recommendation they barely acknowledge.

Against Bobby's wish, Johnson takes the oath aboard Air Force One, with Jackie at his side and Sarah Hughes, the very judge he had once tried to recommend, swearing him in as president.

Although aware that Russell will block his efforts, he rejects his previous strategy of compromise and, when asked whether he supports civil rights himself, he recounts a story about how challenging it was for his cook to cross the south from his home in Washington to his ranch as an African American woman.

Johnson asks Kennedy speechwriter Ted Sorensen to write a speech he intends to deliver to a joint session of Congress, while he begins whipping votes for the civil rights bill.

Eventually, LBJ delivers his 'Let Us Continue' speech to Congress, to rousing applause from both chambers, a visibly-emotional Senator Yarborough, a displeased but respectful Russell, and a very reluctant Bobby Kennedy, who must surrender the mantle of his brother's legacy to his rival.

On November 3 of the same year, he defeated Senator Barry Goldwater in the presidential election, winning 44 states and taking 61.1% of the popular vote, the largest margin of victory since 1820.

Over his next term, Johnson pushed through the Great Society legislation, such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and establishing programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Head Start.

The site's critical consensus reads, "LBJ loses sight of its complicated subject, ignoring the more intriguing aspects of his personality and career in favor of a frustratingly ordinary biopic treatment.

[26] David Ehrlich of IndieWire gave the film a C, and said "Harrelson, who has a gift for squeezing charm out of even his most monstrous characters, leans hard into the contradictory notion that Johnson is a power-hungry humanist.

The result is a performance that is both wildly ridiculous and appreciably grounded ... Harrelson’s turn seizes on his unique charisma in order to disentangle LBJ from the policies that have defined his legacy.