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.
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
