Complex sentence: He stated that they were used for the first time for the Trump inauguration and were to blame for visual effect which made the audience look smaller but in fact the white floor coverings were first used in 2013 when Obama was sworn in for the second term.
Split into simpler sentences: He stated that they were used for the first time for the Trump inauguration and were to blame for visual effect which made the audience look smaller. The white floor coverings had been used in 2013 when Obama was sworn in for the second term.