The President

National Park Service Releases Photos Showing Inauguration Crowd Size

Photos released via an open records request may finally put the fuss over President Trump's inauguration crowd size to rest.

A National Park Service photo showing the crowd at President Trump's inauguration.
National Park Service
SMS

The National Park Service has released its photos from President Donald Trump's inauguration — and they're pretty telling. The agency released multiple batches of photos from the 2017, 2013 and 2009 inaugurations in response to a Freedom of Information Act filed by Newsy and other outlets. 

In all, the National Park Service published 24 batches of photos. The batches include both ground and aerial photos of the National Mall from all three inaugurations. Although not all are from identical angles, there are clear differences in crowd size at each inauguration.

Trump's presidency got off to a rocky start after he disputed attendance estimates for his inauguration. That led to a testy statement from White House press secretary Sean Spicer in his first press briefing. 

Millions Actually Watched The Inauguration, Just Not From The Ground
Millions Actually Watched The Inauguration, Just Not From The Ground

Millions Actually Watched The Inauguration, Just Not From The Ground

Almost 31 million people watched Donald Trump's inauguration from home, making it the fifth most watched inauguration since 1969.

LEARN MORE

Convinced his crowd was larger than what the media was reporting, Trump reportedly pressured the acting director of the National Park Service to provide photos of the crowd size less than a week after his inauguration. Newsy has requested and is still awaiting records of communication between the Trump White House and the National Park Service.

An aerial view of the National Mall during President Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20, 2017. National Park Service

An aerial view of the National Mall during President Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20, 2017. National Park Service

An aerial view of the National Mall during President Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20, 2017. National Park Service

An aerial view of the National Mall during President Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20, 2017. National Park Service

An aerial view of the National Mall during President Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20, 2017. National Park Service

An aerial view of the National Mall during President Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20, 2017. National Park Service