Obama Vs. Trump Inauguration Crowd Size: Photos Tell Story
President Donald Trump boasted of “unbelievable, perhaps record-setting turnout” in his walk-up to today’s inauguration. Photos of the event taken from the Washington Monument suggest the crowd size was more in keeping with the early estimate by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Activities, which, heading into today’s ceremony, had forecast 700K-900K would attend Trump’s inauguration.
The top photo is of the crowd on the National Mall when the inauguration of this country’s first black POTUS, Barack Obama, was attended by an estimated 1.8M people in January 2009. The lower photo shows the crowd for Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2017. Both of the photos taken by a pole camera at the top of the Washington Monument were snapped shortly before noon.
An estimated 1.8 million people attended Obama’s 2009 inauguration; about 1M attended his second, in 2013.
If the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Activities’ crowd estimate holds up, it would compare favorably with previous presidents. George W. Bush’s two inaugurations collected crowds estimated a 300K and 400K, in 2001 and 2005, respectively. And Bill Clinton clocked estimated crowds of 800K in 1993 but just 250K in ’97.
Related stories
Up To 750K Attend Anti-Trump Protest In Downtown Los Angeles; Huge Crowds Also In NYC, D.C. (UPDATE)
President Trump To CIA: Media Is Dishonest, Crowds Were Large
Donald Trump Swearing In Seen By 31 Million Via TV, Behind Obama's 38M And Reagan's Record 42M
Get more from Deadline.com: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter
