Fact check: The controversy over Trump's inauguration crowd size
Sean Spicer
CLOSE White House Spokesman  Sean Spicer  doubled down on  his  claim that President Trump's inauguration was the most watched in history.  He  also said  his  intention is to "always tell the truth " but said there may be disagreement over the facts. (Jan. 23) AP
White House counselor Kellyanne Conway claimed that âalternative factsâ were employed by  Press Secretary Sean Spicer  when he tried to make the case that âthis was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration  period  both in person and around the globe.â Actually   Spicer  got several facts wrong.
 Spicer  then read a prepared statement later that day  further criticizing the media for âdishonesty.â
 Spicer   Jan. 21: "Secondly  photographs of the inaugural proceedings were intentionally framed in a way  in one particular tweet  to minimize the enormous support that had gathered on the National Mall. â¦ We know that from the platform where the president was sworn in  to 4th Street  it holds about 250 000 people. From 4th Street to the media tent is about another 220 000. And from the media tent to the Washington Monument  another 250 000 people. All of this space was full when the president took the oath of office. We know that 420 000 people used the D.C. Metro public transit yesterday  which actually compares to 317 000 that used it for President Obamaâs last inaugural. This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration â period â both in person and around the globe."
At a Jan. 23 press conference   Spicer  made an alternative argument  saying the number of people watching the inauguration on TV  online and in person had to be the largest ever.
âI have a right to say if you add up the network streaming numbers  Facebook  YouTube  all of the various live streaming that we have information on so far  I donât think thereâs any question it was the largest watched inauguration  ever â  Spicer  said.
On that point   Spicer  may be correct. While Nielsen TV ratings were higher in past years  some data suggests online viewership was up compared with 2009. But there is no comprehensive measurement available that would prove or disprove this claim.
On NBCâs Meet the Press  host Chuck Todd asked White House counselor Kellyanne Conway  â[W]hy the president asked the White House press secretary to come out in front of the podium for the first time and utter a falsehood?â Conway responded: âDonât be so overly dramatic about it  Chuck. What â Youâre saying itâs a falsehood. And theyâre giving Sean Spicer  our press secretary  gave alternative facts to that.â
PBSâ âNewsHourâ also posted a timelapse video of the crowd throughout Inauguration Day  which shows it didnât quite stretch back to the Washington Monument  as Trump and  Spicer  said. And as our fact-checking colleagues at The Washington Postpointed out  other journalists had more photographic evidence on Twitter.
Metro ridership. At the press conference   Spicer  also gave inaccurate numbers for those taking the Washington  D.C.  Metro system for Trumpâs inauguration compared with Obamaâs.
But thatâs not what Metro said  and  Spicer  acknowledged that during  his  Jan. 23 press conference.
 Spicer âs 317 000 figure was the number Metro gave for riders as of 11 a.m. on Inauguration Day 2013. The comparable number  for 11 a.m.  for Trumpâs inauguration was 193 000.
Crowd-size experts.  Spicer  was right about one thing: It appears  as  he  said  that no one has scientifically calculated estimates of the crowd size for Trumpâs inauguration. Congress has prohibited the National Park Service from making official estimates after it produced an official estimate that 460 000 turned out for the so-called âMillion Man Marchâ in 1995  prompting organizers to threaten a lawsuit.
 Spicer  argued that floor coverings over the grass on the National Mall âhighlight[ed] where people were not standing  while in years past the grass eliminated this visual.â
âI donât know how  [Spicer]  kept a straight face when he said that â Doig said.
TV and online viewership. But at the Jan. 23 press conference   Spicer  emphasized the combined audience â in person  watching on TV and watching online â was the highest in history. Asked if he was now saying that it was the largest in-person crowd for an inauguration   Spicer  said  âI am not. I am saying that it was the total largest audience witnessed in person and around the globe.â
[TGT] doubled down on   [TGT]   claim that President Trump's inauguration was the most watched in history.   [TGT]   also said   [TGT]   intention is to "always tell the truth " but said there may be disagreement over the facts. (Jan. 23) AP
White House counselor Kellyanne Conway claimed that âalternative factsâ were employed by  Press Secretary Sean Spicer  when he tried to make the case that âthis was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration  period  both in person and around the globe.â Actually   Spicer  got several facts wrong.
  [TGT] then read a prepared statement later that day  further criticizing the media for âdishonesty.â
 Spicer   Jan. 21: "Secondly  photographs of the inaugural proceedings were intentionally framed in a way  in one particular tweet  to minimize the enormous support that had gathered on the National Mall. â¦ We know that from the platform where the president was sworn in  to 4th Street  it holds about 250 000 people. From 4th Street to the media tent is about another 220 000. And from the media tent to the Washington Monument  another 250 000 people. All of this space was full when the president took the oath of office. We know that 420 000 people used the D.C. Metro public transit yesterday  which actually compares to 317 000 that used it for President Obamaâs last inaugural. This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration â period â both in person and around the globe."
At a Jan. 23 press conference   Spicer  made an alternative argument  saying the number of people watching the inauguration on TV  online and in person had to be the largest ever.
âI have a right to say if you add up the network streaming numbers  Facebook  YouTube  all of the various live streaming that we have information on so far  I donât think thereâs any question it was the largest watched inauguration  ever â  Spicer  said.
On that point   Spicer  may be correct. While Nielsen TV ratings were higher in past years  some data suggests online viewership was up compared with 2009. But there is no comprehensive measurement available that would prove or disprove this claim.
On NBCâs Meet the Press  host Chuck Todd asked White House counselor Kellyanne Conway  â[W]hy the president asked the White House press secretary to come out in front of the podium for the first time and utter a falsehood?â Conway responded: âDonât be so overly dramatic about it  Chuck. What â Youâre saying itâs a falsehood. And theyâre giving  [TGT] our press secretary  gave alternative facts to that.â
PBSâ âNewsHourâ also posted a timelapse video of the crowd throughout Inauguration Day  which shows it didnât quite stretch back to the Washington Monument  as Trump and   [TGT] said. And as our fact-checking colleagues at The Washington Postpointed out  other journalists had more photographic evidence on Twitter.
Metro ridership. At the press conference    [TGT] also gave inaccurate numbers for those taking the Washington  D.C.  Metro system for Trumpâs inauguration compared with Obamaâs.
But thatâs not what Metro said  and   [TGT] acknowledged that during   [TGT]   Jan. 23 press conference.
  [TGT]  âs 317 000 figure was the number Metro gave for riders as of 11 a.m. on Inauguration Day 2013. The comparable number  for 11 a.m.  for Trumpâs inauguration was 193 000.
Crowd-size experts.   [TGT] was right about one thing: It appears  as   [TGT]   said  that no one has scientifically calculated estimates of the crowd size for Trumpâs inauguration. Congress has prohibited the National Park Service from making official estimates after it produced an official estimate that 460 000 turned out for the so-called âMillion Man Marchâ in 1995  prompting organizers to threaten a lawsuit.
  [TGT] argued that floor coverings over the grass on the National Mall âhighlight[ed] where people were not standing  while in years past the grass eliminated this visual.â
âI donât know how   [TGT] ]  kept a straight face when  [TGT]  said that â Doig said.
TV and online viewership. But at the Jan. 23 press conference    [TGT] emphasized the combined audience â in person  watching on TV and watching online â was the highest in history. Asked if  [TGT]  was now saying that it was the largest in-person crowd for an inauguration    [TGT] said  âI am not. I am saying that it was the total largest audience witnessed in person and around the globe.â