William Cummings

USA TODAY

The National Park Service released dozens of photos Monday from President Trump's inauguration that appear to refute the president's claim that the "dishonest media" downplayed the inaugural crowd size, which he estimated at 1.5 million people.

The photos were released in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from various news media organizations. The park service also released photos from former president Barack Obama's two inaugurations. Although no time stamps are provided, the comparison between the official photos from Obama's 2009 inauguration and Trump's 2017 swearing-in show that the 2009 crowd was drastically larger, as was initially reported.

The photos show that Trump was incorrect in his assertion that the crowd "went all the way back to the Washington Monument."

Trump inauguration:

Obama inauguration:

Trump made that claim during a speech at CIA headquarters in Langley, Va., the day after his inauguration. He said the media had been caught in "a beauty" of a lie. "And I think they're going to pay a big price," Trump said.

Later that day, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said the photos "were intentionally framed" to "minimize the enormous support that had gathered on the National Mall."

"This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration — period — both in person and around the globe," Spicer said.

Senior Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway later explained to Chuck Todd, the host of NBC's Meet the Press, that Spicer wasn't lying but rather using "alternative facts" to make his assertion.

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