Which US president escalated the Vietnam War with the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution?

The US president who escalated the Vietnam War with the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was Lyndon B. Johnson. Congress passed the resolution in August 1964 after reports that North Vietnamese forces had attacked US destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin. The second reported attack was later disputed, and evidence showed that confusion and misinterpretation had played a major role.

The resolution authorized Johnson to take measures he considered necessary to assist Southeast Asian states threatened by communist aggression. Although it was not a formal declaration of war, the administration treated it as broad congressional approval for expanding US military operations in Vietnam.

The House approved it unanimously, while the Senate vote was 88–2. Johnson used the authority to increase American involvement, including the deployment of ground troops in 1965 and the beginning of sustained bombing campaigns against North Vietnam.

A common mix-up is confusing the resolution with the Gulf of Tonkin incidents themselves. The incidents helped produce the resolution; the resolution then provided the political and legal foundation for escalation. Congress repealed it in 1971 as opposition to the war grew.