Fact Check: Trump claims 1.5 million people came to his inauguration in 2017.

Fact Check: "Trump claims 1.5 million people came to his inauguration in 2017"

What We Know

On January 20, 2017, Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 45th president of the United States. Following the inauguration, Trump claimed that "1.5 million people" attended the event, stating that it "looked like a million and a half people" from his perspective at the Capitol (source-2). However, various estimates suggest that the actual attendance was significantly lower, with figures ranging from 300,000 to 600,000 attendees (source-1).

The National Park Service, which previously provided crowd estimates, ceased doing so after the 1995 Million Man March due to legal threats from organizers (source-2). Trump's press secretary, Sean Spicer, later cited a figure of "720,000" attendees, but this was contradicted by other reports and evidence (source-3).

Analysis

The claim that 1.5 million people attended Trump's inauguration is not supported by credible evidence. In fact, multiple sources, including the BBC and NPR, reported that the actual crowd size was much smaller than Trump's assertion. The estimates of 300,000 to 600,000 attendees are corroborated by aerial photographs and analysis of crowd density (source-1, source-4).

Moreover, Trump's administration faced criticism for its handling of the media and the dissemination of what was termed "alternative facts." Kellyanne Conway, a senior advisor, famously referred to Spicer's incorrect crowd estimates as "alternative facts," which further fueled skepticism about the administration's credibility (source-5).

The sources used to support Trump's claims, such as the figures provided by Spicer, lack transparency and are not backed by reliable data. The Washington Post and other outlets have analyzed the claims and found them to be misleading, emphasizing that Trump's inauguration crowd was visibly smaller compared to Barack Obama's first inauguration in 2009, which drew approximately 1.8 million attendees (source-7).

Conclusion

The claim that "1.5 million people came to Trump's inauguration in 2017" is False. The actual attendance figures, supported by multiple credible sources, indicate that the crowd size was significantly lower, estimated between 300,000 and 600,000. The assertion made by Trump lacks evidence and is contradicted by photographic evidence and expert analysis.