{"id":10122,"date":"2017-01-21T22:13:02","date_gmt":"2017-01-22T05:13:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/peterlance.com\/?p=10122"},"modified":"2017-02-22T21:29:49","modified_gmt":"2017-02-23T04:29:49","slug":"10122","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/?p=10122","title":{"rendered":"Size matters: The President and his Press Secretary blast the media, claiming false reporting on inauguration crowd size. Spicer cites NYT pictures which prove him wrong."},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"StumbleUpon\",\"Digg\",\"Reddit\",\"Bebo\",\"Delicious\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"Size%20matters%3A%20The%20President%20and%20his%20Press%20Secretary%20blast%20the%20media%2C%20claiming%20false%20reporting%20on%20inauguration%20crowd%20size.%20Spicer%20cites%20NYT%20pictures%20which%20prove%20him%20wrong.\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div><p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Screen-Shot-2017-01-21-at-3.16.50-PM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft  wp-image-10125\" title=\"Screen Shot 2017-01-21 at 3.16.50 PM\" src=\"http:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Screen-Shot-2017-01-21-at-3.16.50-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"473\" height=\"268\" srcset=\"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Screen-Shot-2017-01-21-at-3.16.50-PM.png 525w, https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Screen-Shot-2017-01-21-at-3.16.50-PM-300x170.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 473px) 100vw, 473px\" \/><\/a>By Peter Lance<\/strong> January 21st, 2017 <a title=\"Huff Post\" href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/entry\/58841f81e4b08f5134b62186?timestamp=1485056688394\"><strong>The HuffPost.<\/strong><\/a> In his first official press conference WH Press Secretary Sean Spicer claimed today that photos of the inauguration were \u201cintentionally framed in a way\u2026 to minimize the enormous national support that had gathered (yesterday) on The National Mall.\u201d<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Asserting that white \u201cfloor coverings\u201d to protect the grass \u201chad the effect of highlighting any areas where people were not standing,\u201d he also alleged that \u201cfencing and magnetometers\u201d prevented \u201chundreds of thousands of people from being able to access the mall as quickly as they had in inaugurations past.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>In light of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2017\/01\/20\/us\/politics\/trump-inauguration-crowd.html\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_text&quot;,&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:2,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;us\/politics\/trump-inauguration-crowd.html&quot;}}\">NYT estimate<\/a> that 150,000 visitors were on The National Mall for yesterday\u2019s inauguration compared to official estimates <a href=\"http:\/\/www.latimes.com\/nation\/la-na-pol-womens-march-live-organizers-up-their-crowd-estimate-for-1485012450-htmlstory.html\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_text&quot;,&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:3,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/www.latimes.com\/nation\/la-na-pol-womens-march-live-organizers-up-their-crowd-estimate-for-1485012450-htmlstory.html&quot;}}\">cited in the LAT <\/a>of 500,000 in Greater D.C. for today\u2019s \u201cWoman\u2019s March,\u201d Spicer\u2019s attack was the second time within hours that the question of how many visitors attended the inauguration drew national media coverage.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Earlier, in a visit to the CIA in what was initially billed as an attempt at \u201cfence-mending,\u201d President Trump devoted a significant portion of his remarks in front of the agency\u2019s revered Memorial Wall to the size of his inaugural crowd and what he called his \u201crunning war with the media.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/scalefit_820_noupscale\/588424682900002a00dd0f7f.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"430\" height=\"234\" \/><\/figure>\n<div>\n<p>Failing to mention any of his previous Tweets attacking the Intelligence Community including one 10 days ago suggesting it had allowed \u201cfake news\u201d to leak and comparing the IC to \u201cNazi Germany,\u201d the President told a gathering of Agency employees today, \u201cI am with you 1000%.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/scalefit_820_noupscale\/588424992900002f00dd0f81.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"468\" height=\"187\" \/><\/figure>\n<div>\n<p>He then went into a long defense of the number of attendees at his inaugural.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\u201cWe had a massive field of people. You saw that. Packed. I get up this morning and I turn on one of the networks and they show an empty field. I said, \u2018Wait a minute. I made a speech. I looked out. The field was\u2026 It looked like a million; a million and a half people.\u2019 They showed a field where there were (sic) practically nobody standing there and they said \u2018Donald Trump did not draw well.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><strong>SPICER CITES NYT PICTURES<br \/>\nCOMPARING INAUGURALS<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Later, speaking in the White House Briefing Room, Spicer told reporters that, \u201cThis was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration period, both in person and around the globe.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>He then cited side-by-side pictures published in the printed edition of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2017\/01\/20\/us\/politics\/trump-inauguration-crowd.html\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_text&quot;,&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:4,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;us\/politics\/trump-inauguration-crowd.html&quot;}}\">The New York Times<\/a> which he claimed, \u201cshowed the full extent of the support, depth in crowd and intensity that existed. These attempts to lessen the enthusiasm of the inauguration are shameful and wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>But Spicer\u2019s reference to The Time\u2019s photos was in direct conflict with the paper\u2019s coverage of the inauguration\u2019s crowd size and the pictures themselves. In fact, a story from <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/aponline\/2017\/01\/20\/us\/politics\/ap-us-trump-inauguration-crowd-size.html\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_text&quot;,&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:5,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;us\/politics\/ap-us-trump-inauguration-crowd-size.html&quot;}}\">The Associated Press<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/aponline\/2017\/01\/20\/us\/politics\/ap-us-trump-inauguration-crowd-size.html\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_text&quot;,&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:6,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;us\/politics\/ap-us-trump-inauguration-crowd-size.html&quot;}}\">,<\/a> published online by The NYT yesterday, reported that:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\u201cFar fewer people attended President Donald Trump\u2019s inauguration Friday than his predecessor\u2019s swearing-in eight years ago. Photos of the National Mall from President Barack Obama\u2019s inauguration in January 2009 show a teeming crowd stretching from the West Front of the U.S. Capitol all the way to the Washington Monument. Photos taken from the same position on Friday show large swaths of empty space on the Mall.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\u201cThin crowds and semi-empty bleachers also dotted the inaugural parade route. Hotels across the District of Columbia reported vacancies, a rarity for an event as large as a presidential inauguration. And ridership on the Washington\u2019s Metro system didn\u2019t match that of recent inaugurations.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>That piece also accurately reported that as of 11:00 a.m. an hour before the swearing-in there were \u201c193,000 trips taken. At the same hour eight years ago, there had been 513,000 trips. Four years later, there were 317,000 for Obama\u2019s second inauguration.\u201d In fact those numbers were reflected in a DC Metro Tweet:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/scalefit_820_noupscale\/5884254a1200001700ad8fee.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"465\" height=\"196\" \/><\/figure>\n<div>\n<p><strong>SPICER CONFLATES THE DC METRO NUMBERS<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>But at today\u2019s W.H. presser Spicer claimed as \u201cfact,\u201d that \u201c420,000 people used the D.C. Metro Transit System yesterday.\u201d While that might have been an accurate figure for the total number of rides all day, his figure more than doubled the actual number of riders in the hours leading up to the Oath of Office.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>As to the pictures <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2017\/01\/20\/us\/politics\/trump-inauguration-crowd.html\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_text&quot;,&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:7,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;us\/politics\/trump-inauguration-crowd.html&quot;}}\">published in The Times<\/a> judge for yourself. The Obama 2009 inauguration is at left. President Trump\u2019s is at right:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/scalefit_820_noupscale\/588425ee1200001300ad8ff0.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"465\" height=\"300\" \/><\/figure>\n<div>\n<p>The photos were accompanied by this commentary:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\u201cThe analysis by Keith Still, a professor at Manchester Metropolitan University in England, estimates that the crowd on the National Mall on Friday was about one-third the size of Mr. Obama\u2019s. Professor Still was a crowd safety consultant for the 2011 royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, and has advised the Saudi government on crowds for the hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\u201cThe initial analysis was limited in scope because footage of a larger area was not yet available. The number of people on the National Mall is typically a fraction of the total crowd that gathers for a presidential inauguration. In 2009, for example, about 460,000 of the estimated 1.8 million people who attended President Obama\u2019s inauguration were on the National Mall.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><strong>THE WHITE COVERINGS WERE EMPTY CHAIRS<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Regarding Spicer\u2019s assertion that white coverings tended to minimize the size of the crowd in the high shot taken yesterday from the Lincoln Memorial, a photo accompanying that same A.P. story in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.seattletimes.com\/nation-world\/nation-politics\/trump-draws-far-smaller-inaugural-crowd-than-obama\/\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_text&quot;,&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:8,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/www.seattletimes.com\/nation-world\/nation-politics\/trump-draws-far-smaller-inaugural-crowd-than-obama\/&quot;}}\">The Seattle Times<\/a>, showed that the white area Spicer described as protecting the grass was actually the section of The National Mall containing the hundreds of unused seats set out for visitors.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/scalefit_820_noupscale\/588426842900001300dd0f8e.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"449\" height=\"338\" \/><\/figure>\n<div>\n<p><strong>THE CROWD SIZE TODAY THAT REALLY MATTERED<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Both the President\u2019s statements at the CIA, in which he boasted that he\u2019d appeared on a record number of Time Magazine covers and Spicer\u2019s remarks at the press briefing seemed aimed at deflecting attention from the massive crowds at today\u2019s Woman\u2019s March in Washington which drew an estimated half million:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/scalefit_820_noupscale\/588426da2900002f00dd0f90.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"459\" height=\"326\" \/><\/figure>\n<div>\n<p>Press Secretary Spicer refused to accept those estimates. \u201cInaccurate numbers involving crowd sizes (for the Inauguration) were also Tweeted,\u201d he said. \u201cNo one had numbers because The National Park Service, which controls The National Mall does not put any out. By the way, this applies to any attempts to count the size of the (Women\u2019s March) protesters today in the same fashion.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>But an <a href=\"http:\/\/www.latimes.com\/nation\/la-na-pol-womens-march-live-organizers-up-their-crowd-estimate-for-1485012450-htmlstory.html\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_text&quot;,&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:9,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/www.latimes.com\/nation\/la-na-pol-womens-march-live-organizers-up-their-crowd-estimate-for-1485012450-htmlstory.html&quot;}}\">A.P. story<\/a> in The L.A. Times at 10:37 EST this morning quoted a District of Columbia \u201ccity official\u201d as putting the number at 500,000 and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/local\/womens-march-on-washington-a-sea-of-pink-hatted-protesters-vow-to-resist-donald-trump\/2017\/01\/21\/ae4def62-dfdf-11e6-acdf-14da832ae861_story.html?utm_term=.a63b7b6131ee\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_text&quot;,&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:10,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;ae4def62-dfdf-11e6-acdf-14da832ae861_story.html?utm_term=.a63b7b6131ee&quot;}}\">The Washington Post<\/a> cited the worldwide number for today\u2019s mass protests as being in the \u201cmillions.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Further, Spicer\u2019s assertion that the numbers couldn\u2019t be accurately estimated, ran counter to his boss\u2019s claim at the CIA earlier that his inauguration had drawn up to a million and a half.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><strong>ANOTHER \u201cWALL\u201d ISSUE THAT COULD DOG DONALD TRUMP<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Following President Trump\u2019s comments at the CIA, CNN\u2019s Chief National Security Correspondent <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2017\/01\/21\/politics\/trump-to-cia-i-am-so-behind-you\/\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_text&quot;,&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:11,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;politics\/trump-to-cia-i-am-so-behind-you\/&quot;}}\">Jim Sciutto <\/a>expressed disappointment at the chief executive\u2019s self-serving remarks in front of the wall dedicated to fallen intelligence officers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/scalefit_820_noupscale\/588427fd1c00001b00d93797.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"421\" height=\"171\" \/><\/figure>\n<div>\n<p>\u201cListen, that is hallowed ground at the CIA,\u201d Sciutto said. \u201cThose stars represent the men and women killed in the service of their country. Those are the words over those stars behind President Trump\u2019s head there. One of them was for <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Johnny_Micheal_Spann\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_text&quot;,&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:12,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Johnny_Micheal_Spann&quot;}}\">Johnny Michael Spann<\/a>. He was the first American killed in Afghanistant after the invasion after 9\/11.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\u201cThe first words out of Donald Trump\u2019s mouth in that hallowed spot \u2014 I\u2019m not saying it\u2019s the equivalent of The Tomb of The Unknown Soldier, but for the CIA, in effect it is. These are unknown faceless individuals who gave their lives for the country. The first comment from the President\u2019s mouth there was about favorable Fox News coverage.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"StumbleUpon\",\"Digg\",\"Reddit\",\"Bebo\",\"Delicious\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"Size%20matters%3A%20The%20President%20and%20his%20Press%20Secretary%20blast%20the%20media%2C%20claiming%20false%20reporting%20on%20inauguration%20crowd%20size.%20Spicer%20cites%20NYT%20pictures%20which%20prove%20him%20wrong.\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div><p>By Peter Lance January 21st, 2017 The HuffPost. In his first official press conference WH Press Secretary Sean Spicer claimed today that photos of the inauguration were \u201cintentionally framed in a way\u2026 to minimize the enormous national support that had gathered (yesterday) on The National Mall.\u201d Asserting that white \u201cfloor coverings\u201d to protect the grass [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10123,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1184],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10122"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10122"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10122\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10150,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10122\/revisions\/10150"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10123"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10122"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10122"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10122"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}