The Trump Administration has a rocky kick off this week due to both things outside of its control and things of its own making. First there was the planned protests against the new President — demonstrations both on Inaugural Day and the next day that I criticized. Those were outside the control of the Administration. However, then there was a remarkably disappointing and lackluster Inaugural speech followed by a truly dreadful press conference. This was the first press conference for the Administration – a key moment for any new Administration. Instead of emphasizing the positive and taking control of the news cycle with strategic announcements, White House Press secretary Sean Spicer largely criticized the press and then made a series a highly dubious factual assertions about the size of Trump’s audience. It was a performance that even stalwart supporters like Charles Krauthammer on Fox called “weird.” Likewise, Fox News has described Spicer’s facts as “incorrect.” Most of us who have previously watched or covered Inaugurations thought that the crowd seemed smaller. So what? Tens of millions of people voted for Trump. That is the measure that counts. Yet, Spicer went on the attack with some shaky assertions and guaranteed that this tempest in a teapot would be the focus of the next news cycle — and gave critics an opening to lambast the new president. I have said this before that friends of this President need to call him out when his Administration goofs if they want this Administration to succeed. This is one such moment and shows an early lack of discipline and message.
In fairness to Spicer, the news conference seemed to follow the President’s lead, not Spicer’s. Indeed, President Trump was widely criticized for standing in front of the memorial wall at the CIA and went off on a tangent against reports of his crowd being smaller than Obama’s. It was viewed as highly inappropriate and trivial at such a memorial. The other agenda item was to blast some unknown reporter for a Time reporter’s story that the MLK bust was removed from the Oval Office. Ok, sloppy reporting. Maybe even too eager to find a fault. But that is the stuff of your first news conference. I have no doubt that there are people looking for every negative angle to make the Administration look bad, but you do not have to help them by taking the bait.
Part of the role of White House Spokesman is not to just be the sword and shield for the Administration (though it appears Spicer will be more sword than shield). He is also the key liaison to the media and needs to develop a sense of trust with these reporters. No president can lead by tweet. He must interact with journalists and they need to have some level of trust in facts being put forward by an Administration. The proper thing is for the spokesman to ream out the reporter in the bust story and let it be known that there was a dressing down for a false story. That is why this start was so dreadful.
As Politico and other outfits have detailed, the factual assertions of Spicer appear either demonstrably false and highly questionable. Most people, including myself, thought that the crowed looked smaller. That was not a big deal to me. President Obama was the nation’s first black president and there was an outpouring of supporters. Moreover, there was the promise of protests and higher security at this event that probably did dampen attendance. In the end it really does not matter. Trump and his aides seemed to “protest too much” and revealed a degree of insecurity in constantly returning to the issue of counting attendees. He received almost half the votes in the country — around 47 percent. While he lost the popular vote, that is immaterial in our electoral system and he won an overwhelming number of states and delegates. In other words, he has nothing to prove.
Instead, the Administration telegraphed nothing but insecurity in lashing out at reporters, which were virtually universal on the size of the crowd. Spicer tried to argue that this was the first time that the nation used floor coverings, which created an image of a smaller crowd. As Politico noted, that is not true. Coverings were previously used. However, I do not personally recall such large spaces being laid out in white coverings.
Spicer also said that the worst angles were used by some in the media. He may be right. I have been critical of the coverage of Trump during the campaign, which I viewed as overtly hostile. Yet, I watched the inauguration and it did not seem true, as Spicer claimed that “All of this space [from Trump’s platform to the Washington Monument] was full when the president took the Oath of Office.” There was an impressive crowd near the platform but it thinned toward the monument.
Spicer appears clearly wrong in saying that “We know that 420,000 people used the D.C. Metro public transit yesterday, which actually compares to 317,000 that used it for President Obama’s last inaugural.” He is right about the 317,000 figure. This was the number of people who traveled before 11 am — in time for the Inaugural speech. If the same period is used for this Inauguration, the figure for Trump would be 193,000. In terms of the whole day, there were 570,557 — a very large number. However, in 2013, the full day ridership was 782,000 and in 2009 it was 1.1 million.
Perhaps the worst assertion was that “This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration — period — both in person and around the globe.” That statement was instantly ridiculed. Obama’s 2009 Inauguration was a record breaker. Moreover the television audience was smaller: 30.6 million compared to 41.8 million for Reagan in 1981 and 37.7 million for Obama in 2009.
Again, we are only crunching number because the White House used the first press conference almost exclusively to this dispute. Instead of focusing on the hundreds of thousands of people who were there and their celebration in pulling off one of the greatest upsets in U.S. political history, Spicer (and the President). made this the framing story of the first 24 hours of this Administration. Given the President’s statements at the CIA, I do not believe that this was just some tangent that Spicer unilaterally decided to take for the first press conference. However, if this Administration is to flourish, it will need to gain greater control over messaging and timing.
Once again, I do not fault Spicer in criticizing some of the angles and coverage. He must deal with what must be (and I have no aerial pictures to support this assertion) the most hostile press corps of any new president in history. He is trying to push back, but that is not the type of message that you want to be the near exclusive focus of your first conference. It is the type of thing that you release with photos outside of the conference and, if necessary, take questions on the issue while emphasizing new changes. Trump has started to keep his promises on the ACA and other issues. That should have been the focus of the conference to convey that Trump remains committed to being a vehicle for change. Rather than convey strength, the conference conveyed a hypersensitivity and insecurity.
Here is the first official press conference:
Dicatators brag about their crowds.
Material girl Madonna gives profanity laced speech, curses & swears. Then Madonna issues a directive to blow up the White house on social media. Where’s the secret service? Madonna is the new ISIS boss.
Did not the National Park Service provide the numbers on its web site, only to have the White House demand that they take them down? If I recall, they were told that counting the number of people at a National Park was not within its job description.
I wonder how they count the numbers at yellow stone national park.
Are we entering the era of fake news generated by the White House?
Dictator driven news.
websterisback – I think the NPS only counts cars/vehicles at Yellowstone.
Paul — Why is it that you don’t take the time to actually investigate the answer to a question before you offer up your speculation. It took me all of one minute to find the answer to the question of how the NPS determines park attendance numbers, and in the process determine that your answer is so incomplete as to be bordering on inaccurate. The NPS does use car data, but they also use a variety of other methods, some in combination with car counts. Here is a link explaining how they determine attendance numbers: https://www.nature.nps.gov/socialscience/stats.cfm
ScientificSkeptic – at Yellowstone, they still count cars, whether they use a multiplier or not. Now, I have been to NPS sites where they actually count heads, Cedar Breaks for one. Have you been to Yellowstone? Getting in is like crossing into the United States from Mexico, there are long lines. They do not have time to count heads. It is a volume business.
The term “dishonest press” should be used on every occasion possible. At least it is true, as opposed to the various lying memes promulgated by the Democratic Left. And blatant lies need to be nipped in the bud, like CNN Zeke Miller’s lie that the Martin Luther King bust had been removed.
Remember how the phony, false “Hands up! Don’t shoot!” meme spread like wildfire? Now we have the stupid Black Lives Matter nonsense and dead cops to show for that little contribution to the Democratic Party Narrative.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
The TRUMPIAN way is to say that the media is lying to deflect from their lies. Honest conservatives see it.
Spicer didn’t blow his credibility with me. He dealt with the LIAR who said the MLK bust had been removed. Once a story like that goes out, YOU know that any retraction is not going to be heard by even 25% who heard the LIE. Next, crowd size? The MSM hammered on this all day about the Obama’s crowd being bigger. Trump’s crowd was behemoth and standing on white tarps to protect the grass. That diminished the “appearance of people”. While there may not have been as many as there were for Obama, why did the MSM continue to harp on that one thing ALL during the Inauguration? Because they are BIASED. So I’m very happy that Spicer set the TONE. I’m knew to your columns and hope I can stay with you. Was proud that you were able to host family members on the other side…I’ve got a few of those too. They are now sleeping on air mattresses in the basement!
Good comments Elise. Welcome.
While I agree its not an argument you want to see I also agree with Trump Admin that this is about actually holding the press accountable. Its a first that we have never seen in our lives. A White House that will hold the press as accountable to Fake News
Trump’s inauguration crowd was not only smaller….it was a lot smaller. He is remarkably unpopular and untrustworthy. The crowd size pictures don’t lie…..but weak presidents do.
“President Obama had a scandal-free 8 years”. Valerie Jarrett
“…but weak presidents do.”
Those two quotes should be forever linked together.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/trumpism-corrupts-spicer-edition/article/2006432 “But like I said, this isn’t about Spicer.
What’s worrisome is that Spicer wouldn’t have blown his credibility with the national press on Day 2 of the administration unless it was vitally important to Trump.
And if media reports about crowd size are so important to Trump that he’d push Spicer out there to lie for him, then it means that all the tinpot-dictator, authoritarian, characterological tics that people worried about during the campaign are still very much active.
You know who obsessed about crowd size? Fidel Castro. You know who did not? George Washington, John Adams, Andrew Jackson, FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, Reagan, Clinton, and every other man to ever serve as president of these United States of America.
If you want to support the Trump agenda, that’s fine. Worth doing, even. But never lose sight of the degree to which Trumpism corrupts
But if the media is lying about something shouldnt they be called out on it? I think they should be exposed for lying. Allowing a press to get away with continually lying without pointing it out has lead us to dangerous low levels of accountability both in govt as well as in news
Was the media lying about the crowd size?
“But never lose sight of the degree to which Trumpism corrupts” should be changed to read:
“But never lose sight of the degree to which Bill Kristol’s* panties are in a wad.”
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
* He is the founder and editor at large of the political magazine The Weekly Standard, from whence this article, and a rabid “never-Trumper.”
This is war. It was declared by the establishment media the day he announced his candidacy. They will not and have not relented in their assault to this day. Thank God they have truly shown their bias during this election and have made themselves irrelevant.
The Steak-Salesman has always been and remains concerned about ratings. It’s beyond pathetic.
(Who cares if only one person showed up. One would think he has more important things to tackle, like figuring out who gets what pen.)
To paraphrase: “A lot of people saw my orange puffy face. Winning. The most people ever. Isn’t my paid-employee Melania wonderful?”
This “Administration” is acting as expected, out of the gate. For Congress it’s ethics, for Casino Failure it’s denying photographs.
(And I never understand why anyone pays attention to any press secretary. They’re propagandists by definition.)
Totally predictable response from Trump. When I saw the first crowd size comparison picture, I (or anyone with a brain) knew the baby trump would not accept his inauguration not being the biggest (a/ka the TRUTH)……….and would lash out at the media. What Spicer did was personally embarrassing. But as only an idiot would think more people attended the trump ceremony, it seems clear Spicer’s performance was done at trump’s direction – he’ll likely be applauded behind the scenes for throwing himself on the trump grenade.
btw – really Mr. Turley?:
1. for saying crowd size should mean nothing to Trump – while factually correct, that shows an almost willful ignorance of everything trump has said (“only I” can do this or that……..) and done this past year plus campaigning…….or the prior decades as a carnival barker.
2. and saying the media has been openly hostile to trump when it was Trump who has initiated hostilities on the press to the point the reporters lives have been threatened.
Ladies and gentlemen! Start your engines. Crowd size complaints are the first of 4 years of whiny, baby behavior where trump will try to use his force of will and threats on the media to separate reality from his continuous propaganda campaign./
Agreed. It’s petty school yard stuff to talk about the crowd size, but I think Spicer point is how the media is still LYING. Really, Trump removed MLK Bust from the Whitehouse?
But what we really should be talking about is the great news, the President appoints Internet Freedom advocate AJIT PAI to head the FCC!!!! Can I hear a YEA!!!!!!!!
Good news for you Professor. Good news for America!
Ajit Pai to head FCC:
https://youtu.be/mOeycJgKIXs
http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-net-neutrality-fcc-chairman-ajit-pai-2017-1 Hey ter ber, That dude is an opponent of an open internet.
The guy is against net neutrality as is Trump. Why do you think this is good news, ter ber?
Yea! And I think you said it most appropo regarding Spicer. He has set the tone and glad he got that out of the way first thing.
In my small town in a rural red state 10,000 people showed up for the Women’s March on Saturday. These were young people carrying anti-Trump signs. The population clearly resents the election of Trump through gerrymandered districts and voter suppression. They didn’t like Hillary either. The dominant theme on the signs people were carrying was advocacy for women and minority rights/equality. The signs address the image of the Trump administration as racist and misogynistic. That is what he must address if he is to gain respect from the US population and the world.
Agree…. The crowds were unbelievable. Many people are feeling a sense of relief after the marches even if only knowing there are not alone. It could very well be the beginning of a grassroots movement. I hope so.
There was no voter suppression, and you didn’t lose Congress due to gerrymandering.
Trump is a thin skinned whack job with access to the nuclear codes. I would not want Sean Spicer’s job. Feel sorry for the guy.
I don’t feel sorry for Spicer. He’s EXACTLY who I wanted to see…so refreshing after Josh Earnest. I could even pantomine what Earnest was going to say before he ever opened his mouth to deliver those same lame answers. MSM NEVER asked Obama one hard question….”what’d you have for lunch; how was your golf game; what’s Michele wearing to go to dinner tonight?” We have a new President and the beginning of a great new America. Lead, follow or get out of the way or join some of the socialists who threatened to leave America. They’re still here because they don’t want to live in Communist Cuba or Venezuela. I hope the 68 Dems who missed the Inauguration move to California the day before it falls off in the ocean. Prosac or Xanex may help you…recommend large dosage. Four years, we have the House, the Senate, the Oval Office and the Supreme Court just as a gentle reminder!
Having heard some of the commentary during the day about the crowds, it seemed there was a consistent drumbeat to make it smaller than Obama’s. One of the stations was running the crowd overheads side by side. I still cannot figure out why? The NPS does not do crowd estimates anymore and it was guesswork when they did it.
The pressitudes are not and will not become the friends of Donald J. Trump. One of the reasons he got my vote was that he was willing to call them out. He needs to keep doing it.
The Liberals can’t accept rte millions who
Voted for D.J.T
Yes, millions voted for Trump but now he needs to step up an act like a grown up.
seamusp7c — I’m a liberal and I acknowledge the fact that millions voted for Trump. I also acknowledge that nearly 3 million more voted for HRC than voted for Trump. Yes, I know this is, as JT has pointed out, immaterial or irrelevant given that it is the electoral college vote that selects the president, not the popular vote. But it is not irrelevant in the sense of sizing up or comparing the electorate’s support for Trump and claims about the strength of any mandate Trump has. And it most certainly is not irrelevant in response to Trump’s repeated exaggerated claims and boasts about his support.
Is it also not irrelevant to note that without CA and NY, Mr. Trump handily won the popular vote?
To me this information ties into the idea of an out of touch coastal elite.
Visual representation:
http://www.funnyjunk.com/Trumpland+and+clinton+archipelago/funny-pictures/6125509/
MSM is gonna thump on Trump every chance they get — still mad their Queen lost. And it diverts from the DNC mess and Clinton Global Initiative.
Spicer should not even have engaged about the numbers – who cares? And how many people watched via RT.com and via various YouTube outlets? Spicer needs to focus on what the Donald is doing. Trump is our prez, like or not, and worrying about numbers and petty details is playing into the hands of the MSM and haters.
You are losing me Turley. True colors coming out I guess.
I just saw video of this Sean idiot. His voice and contortions are way out of sink. The aerial photographs of the prior inaugaruations show larger crowds. New Guy has to get rid of this press secretary today. Today Donald!
agree – guy is incompetent.
What nonsense. Trump needs to attack the press for its lies and agenda daily. Its the media, stupid!
A different look at the fake news problem and the press conference.
Go ALT Media!
https://youtu.be/4c5aDfPruXY
Agreed. I think Spicer set the tone that the Trump Administration is NOT going to let ANY LIES gp unchallenged. The Times Reporter who announced that the MLK bust had been moved knew it was a LIE…just couldn’t wait to put that story out there. Just looking for something to criticize. Believe me there will be plenty of legitimate things the Libs won’t like “we don’t like the way Trumo breaths” but the MSM better get ready because there is “NO MORE MR. NICE GUY”. I’ve bit my lip for 8 years trying to get along with my Lib friends. Not any more. I will leave my “niceness” at the door. Done, Finis, Found my Mouth and the words coming out now are MY Truth to Power. Congratulations Mr. Trump and Congratulations America.
“The Times Reporter who announced that the MLK bust had been moved knew it was a LIE…”
Yet another unsupported opinion masquerading as a factual claim. Just how the hell do you know this was a lie? Answer: you don’t. And if you respond by claiming that you do know this to be a fact, then it will be you who will be guilty of telling a lie.
How did he know it was true? Because HE didn’t see it? We have experienced a growing trend in the MSM to report ANYTHING and then correct it later when it’s discovered to be untrue. Somehow this quality of reporting has become the standard and that standard is about to change. It doesn’t matter if this reporter believed it to be true or was reporting and outright lie. He got the FACTS wrong AND reported it WRONG. Be it a LIE or INCOMPETENCE, Spicer just told anyone paying attention that THIS administration won’t tolerate that type of reporting.
“Not any more. I will leave my “niceness” at the door. Done, Finis, Found my Mouth and the words coming out now are MY Truth to Power.”
To speak truth one does not have to be disagreeable.