Let's talk Trump's inauguration crowds

Honestly, I can't hardly believe I want to have this conversation but I do. I could care less how many true believers attended anyone's inauguration. But what I very much do care about is just how badly media is lying to us so I want to peek into Trump's inauguration event.

I'm sure we've all seen the debate. Democrats claim the event was poorly attended, a clear sign of how unpopular the guy who actually won the election is. I suspect we've all seen photos just like this one here:


*Trump's Swearing In*

Honestly, I didn't make much of it. There are lots of reasons that people might choose to show up or not including weather, geographic issues, or things I can't conceive of. I assumed the whole "tiny crowds" thing was just more braying from the Democratic barn. But then I ran into this.

Gigapixel image of Trump's Swearing In

It didn't take me long to pan around and zoom to the back to note what appears to be some rather dramatic differences between the two crowds. Of course, the second image is from CNN and... well... CNN. So that's hardly a trustworthy source. Then again, a quick peek at that image seemed like wasn't obviously edited and the detail due to the crowds would be annoyingly hard to get right.

So... how many people *were* at Trump's inauguration and, more importantly, who is lying to us? Is this a case where Trump is telling us the absolute truth and MSM has been collectively lying? And, for that matter, why did CNN come clean?

Thoughts?

*** editing for clarity ***
Specifically, have you any thoughts or knowledge around which of these two images is more representative of reality?

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mimi's picture

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SnappleBC's picture

@mimi Insofar as I'm concerned, I've got two very questionable sources with vastly conflicting imagery. Who knows what people here might know? Maybe someone lives in DC? Maybe someone has a friend who went?

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A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard

mimi's picture

@SnappleBC @SnappleBC

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Alligator Ed's picture

I believe that CNN-linked image is truer to actual attendance. My question is why would CNN document anything pro-Trumpian? The lame stream media is trying their best to undermine him, why would the Clinton News Network actually be showing the reality of the crowds? Survival instinct perhaps. Maybe a way to get allowed back into press conferences.

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SnappleBC's picture

@Alligator Ed My sense is that the gigapixel image is probably about right. The park service photos are probably, as Trump said, deliberately selected to deceive. And that only leaves the big question, why did CNN come clean? Sooner or later I'll find someone who was there or had a friend there and I'll be able to figure out this for real.

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A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard

@Alligator Ed

That is, Trump's were taken an hour before the inauguration ceremonies started, while people were still filing in, and security was slowing passage down. The shots back from the speakers looked as if the Mall was full all the way back.

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Having difficulty telling crowd from trees. Sorry state of affairs when when nothing has credibility. Sane progressive has a great post up on reality and WikiLeaks. I linked it here earlier,

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

Socialprogressive's picture

The media poked the bear to get a reaction. The reaction they got was "my dick is bigger than the last guys dick". The outcome is web sites got a few more clicks and I still don't care who has the bigger dick.

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I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

SnappleBC's picture

@Socialprogressive Well... not exactly "meaningless" distraction. The crowd size argument was a plank in the Democratic platform of delegitimizing Trump's presidency. It's meaningless to you and me. But quite obviously it has a lot of meaning to denizens of places like GOS. What I'm fascinated at though is that if that CNN image is correct then it works against the establishment meme that Trump is a liar and MSM is trustworthy. Then, of course, I'm interested in why CNN chose to tell the truth at some point.

Reading the pattern of lies is a lot like trying to scry the future from entrails but I feel like I sometimes get useful information.

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A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard

@SnappleBC Maybe they never meant for the second pic to get put out there, or maybe they will say the Russians did it.

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