The 2016 Blast The latest POLITICO scoops and coverage of the 2016 elections. Email Sign Up

Tweets from https://twitter.com/politico/lists/team-politico



"And Harry Truman, with what he did in dropping and having the guts to drop the bomb in 1944 saved, saved millions of American lives," former Indiana Univeristy coach Bobby Knight said. "And that's what Harry Truman did. And he became one of the three great presidents of the United States. And here's a man who would do the same thing, because he's going to become one of the four great presidents of the United States." | AP Photo Bobby Knight: Like Truman, Trump would have 'guts to drop the bomb'

According to Bobby Knight, Harry Truman was one of the three greatest presidents because he had the "guts to drop the bomb in 1944" on Japan.

Donald Trump, he said, could join that list as one of the four greatest presidents because he "would do the same thing."

The only historical problem with Knight's justification: Truman authorized the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945. Franklin D. Roosevelt was still president in 1944.

During a rally in Evansville, Indiana, on Thursday, the legendary college basketball coach and Donald Trump supporter returned to the stage during the Republican candidate's speech when Trump began to talk about his lack of desire to be "more presidential."

"We gotta talk about this presidential crap just for a moment here," Knight said. "I'll tell you who they said wasn't presidential. I don't even know what the hell presidential means, but they told him he wasn't presidential. And that guy they told all these people that wanted to say, you're not presidential, that guy was Harry Truman."

The Missouri Democrat's name drew applause in the crowd.

"And Harry Truman, with what he did in dropping and having the guts to drop the bomb in 1944 saved, saved millions of American lives," Knight said. "And that's what Harry Truman did. And he became one of the three great presidents of the United States. And here's a man who would do the same thing, because he's going to become one of the four great presidents of the United States."

"Such a great guy. Wow. How do you top that? How do you top that?" Trump said. "You should be very proud of him in Indiana ... That is a national treasure, OK?"

Earlier on Thursday, Trump told NBC's "Today" that while he would be the last person to use nuclear weapons to take out the Islamic State or in any situation, he would never take the option off the table.