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Trump claims media 'dishonest' over crowd photos Trump claims media 'dishonest' over crowd photos
(about 2 hours later)
President Donald Trump has accused the media of dishonesty over the number of people attending his inauguration.President Donald Trump has accused the media of dishonesty over the number of people attending his inauguration.
Mr Trump said "it looked like" some 1.5m people had been there when he spoke at the US Capitol on Friday.Mr Trump said "it looked like" some 1.5m people had been there when he spoke at the US Capitol on Friday.
Later, his White House press secretary said it had been "the largest audience to ever see an inauguration, period". Later, his White House press secretary said it had been "the largest audience to ever see an inauguration".
Neither man has produced evidence to back their claims. And photographs appear to show many more attending the inauguration of Barack Obama in 2009.Neither man has produced evidence to back their claims. And photographs appear to show many more attending the inauguration of Barack Obama in 2009.
On Saturday, millions in the US and around the world protested against Mr Trump's new administration. On Saturday, millions in the US and around the world took part in protests to highlight women's rights, which activists believe to be under threat from the new administration.
The largest US rally was in the capital Washington, which city officials estimated to be more than 500,000-strong, followed by New York with some 400,000 and hundreds of thousands elsewhere, including Chicago and Los Angeles. The largest US rally was in the capital, Washington DC, which city officials estimated to be more than 500,000-strong, followed by New York with some 400,000 and hundreds of thousands elsewhere, including Chicago and Los Angeles.
The aim was mainly to highlight women's rights, which activists believe to be under threat from the new administration. Inauguration: What are the figures?
Mr Trump did not mention the protests during a bridge-building visit to CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, on Saturday but instead turned on the press. For decades, the US National Park Service provided official crowd estimates for gatherings on the National Mall.
He accused the media of inventing a feud between him and the intelligence community. But the agency stopped providing counts after organisers of the Million Man March protest about rights for black people in 1995 threatened a lawsuit.
But outgoing CIA Director John Brennan berated Mr Trump's "despicable display of self-aggrandisement in front of CIA's Memorial Wall of agency heroes". Mr Trump said "it looked like a million and a half people" there on Friday - with the crowd extending all the way back to the Washington Monument.
Mr Trump said TV footage and photos of his inauguration had painted an inaccurate picture. To support the argument, his press secretary Sean Spicer said that the number of people taking Washington's subway system on the day had been higher than during Mr Obama's second inauguration in 2013.
"It looked like a million and a half people" there on Friday, he said, disputing media reports that there were as few as 250,000 people. In fact, there were 782,000 tickets that year, 571,000 this year, the Washington-area transit authority says.
He also said the crowd extended all the way back to the Washington Monument, although this claim is contradicted by aerial shots from the day. Mr Spicer also said that plastic sheets had been used for the first time to cover the grass which "had the effect of highlighting areas people were not standing whereas in years past the grass eliminated this visual". In fact, the grass was also covered in 2013.
The new president repeated his low opinion of the media dubbing reporters "among the most dishonest human beings on earth". He added that fences and metal detectors had had an impact on attendance, but this had also been denied by officials as being a factor.
Later, White House press secretary Sean Spicer also went on the attack. District of Columbia officials had made preparations for an estimated 700,000 to 900,000.
"There's been a lot of talk in the media about the responsibility to hold Donald Trump accountable, and I'm here to tell you it goes two ways. We're going to hold the press accountable as well." What are US media saying?
Referring to the inauguration crowds, Mr Spicer said: "This was the largest audience ever to witness an inauguration, period. Both in person and around the globe. The new president repeated his low opinion of the media dubbing reporters "among the most dishonest human beings on earth". Mr Spicer vowed "to hold the press accountable".
"These attempts to lessen the enthusiasm about the inauguration are shameful and wrong." In their reaction, major US media outlets flatly denied the claims made by the US president and his spokesman.
He refused to take questions. The New York Times, singled out by Mr Spicer, denounced "false claims".
There are no official figures for attendance. However, estimates suggest some 1.8m people attended President Obama's inauguration in 2009 and some 1m in 2013. CNN said it did not even broadcast the spokesman's statement live. It said the press secretary had attacked the media "for accurately reporting" and went on to debunk the claims.
A worrying debut, by David Willis, BBC News, Washington ABC news also goes into detail to refute the claims.
Pro-Trump Fox News reported the claims unchallenged.
BuzzFeed News accuses Mr Spicer of lying and goes on to provide Twitter memes generated from his remarks.
A worrying debut: Analysis by David Willis, BBC News, Washington
In his first ever White House briefing, Sean Spicer rounded on reporters in a manner few here can remember.In his first ever White House briefing, Sean Spicer rounded on reporters in a manner few here can remember.
Echoing President Trump's charge of dishonesty earlier in the day, Mr Spicer zeroed in on reports that the attendance at Mr Trump's swearing-in ceremony had been lower than that for Barack Obama's inauguration in 2009 and 2013. Echoing President Trump's charge of dishonesty, Mr Spicer issued a thinly-veiled warning to reporters covering the Trump presidency, saying the new administration intended to "hold the press accountable".
Mr Spicer went on to issue a thinly-veiled warning to reporters covering the Trump presidency, saying the new administration intended to "hold the press accountable".
Precisely what he means by that is unclear, but the statement has left many veterans of the White House press pool deeply concerned.Precisely what he means by that is unclear, but the statement has left many veterans of the White House press pool deeply concerned.
Ultimately, of course, it begs the broader question - what will prove most unpalatable to this new administration: the messenger or the message?Ultimately, of course, it begs the broader question - what will prove most unpalatable to this new administration: the messenger or the message?
In addition to the photographic evidence, Washington's Metro system said trips were down on previous inaugurations. Marketing firm Nielsen said television views in the US were less than Barack Obama's and Ronald Reagan's first inaugurations. What are inauguration figures for past US presidents?
Row with the CIA Officials from the District of Columbia have said that 1.8m people attended Mr Obama's 2009 inauguration and close to 1m showed up for his second in 2013.
Mr Trump's visit to the CIA headquarters had sought to mend relations with the intelligence community after weeks of doubting their conclusions about alleged Russian interference into the US election. George W Bush drew some 400,000 in 2005, 300,000 in 2001; Bill Clinton had 800,000 in 1993 then 250,000 in 1997.
"I love you, I respect you," he said, adding that he was "1,000%" behind the spy agency. Some 140,000 tickets were sold for Ronald Reagan's inauguration in 1985, but extreme cold forced officials to move the ceremony indoors, says Politifact.
Mr Trump said the media had invented a feud between them, although in a recent row over a leaked dossier that alleged the Kremlin held compromising material on him, he had likened the actions of intelligence agencies to Nazi Germany. It says the biggest crowd the National Park Service counted was for Lyndon Johnson's 1965 swearing-in that drew 1.2m.
But the outgoing CIA director condemned the president's statement at Langley.
"Former CIA Director Brennan is deeply saddened and angered at Donald Trump's despicable display of self-aggrandisement in front of CIA's Memorial Wall of agency heroes," his former deputy, Nick Shapiro, said in a statement carried by CNN.
"Brennan says that Trump should be ashamed of himself."
Last week, Mr Brennan called on Mr Trump to be more "disciplined" in what he said and warned him not to underestimate Russian intentions.