5:39 PM: After a delay of about an hour we appear to be moments away from what is expected to be a White House statement on the crowd size issue.

5:40 PM: Spicer complaining about MLK bust and giving various excuses why the inaugural crowd was much bigger than anyone said.

5:41 PM: Spicer claims crowd was the largest crowd ever to witness a presidential inauguration.

5:43 PM: Spicer is basically in primal scream mode now.

5:46 PM: Verbatim quote: “This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration. Period. Both in person and around the globe.”

On the one hand it is chilling, bizarre, un-American to see the President’s spokesman begin the term excoriating and threatening the press, telling demonstrable lies, speaking with a palpable rage in his voice. On the other, the President and his toadies are on the second day almost vanishingly small. They are embarrassing themselves. They look silly. They look ridiculous. It is hard to be intimidated by ridiculousness. I suspect this will be the abiding duality of the Trump presidency.

Full video of Spicer after the jump.