Will media's renewed enthusiasm for fact-checking crowd sizes extend through March for Life?

Though the feeling wasn’t quite a strong, say, as Rosie O’Donnell’s bitter clinging to the image of Donald Trump being arrested seconds before taking the oath of office, many conservatives too have harbored a secret wish: that Trump would act more “presidential.”

Here’s a secret it doesn’t take Russian hackers to uncover: barring divine intervention, men don’t change overnight, and certainly not 70-year-old men. Trump speaks in hyperbole — the biggest, the best, the largest, the greatest, the classiest — and it will continue to fuel his fight with the media, who will fact-check every one of those claims now that they’re back on the clock.

Though it seemed a quiet day on the White House front, President Trump and his press secretary, Sean Spicer, managed to ignite at least two media firestorms while millions of women in pussyhats marched outside and shared in a fantasy about blowing up the president’s residence. (Did that sound bite make the evening news?)

Sean Spicer lacks the guts or integrity to refuse orders to go out and lie. He is a failure in this job on his first full day.

— Brian Fallon (@brianefallon) January 21, 2017

The Mouth of Sauron says what? pic.twitter.com/9D2qTbvSZm

— 100 Proof (@ChampionCapua) January 21, 2017

Wonder if this is the same Maggie Haberman who was described in the leaked Podesta emails as a “friendly journalist” who never disappointed when it came time to “tee up stories” and like would “do the most shaping” for the Hillary campaign.

This is not a campaign or an RNC spokesman anymore. Taxpayer-funded briefing room in which several falsehoods told.

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) January 21, 2017

Make no mistake, the Women’s March was YUGE (but, judging by the speakers, hardly united for anything as much as against). However, the media was more concerned Saturday with Trump’s claim that his inauguration drew record crowds to D.C. That seems like another unforced error by Trump, and the media and pundits were happy to score on it.

First full day of the Trump Administration and the most pressing issue on the president's plate is, apparently, litigating crowd size. https://t.co/hQByP2a5Zm

— Sara Murray (@SaraMurray) January 21, 2017

It turns out that journalists can fact-check crowd sizes really quickly when it’s important.

BREAKING: President Donald Trump accuses media of lying about inauguration crowds, wrongly says crowd reached Washington monument.

— The Associated Press (@AP) January 21, 2017

White House press secretary attacks media for accurately reporting inauguration crowds https://t.co/HaJhPnSwWN pic.twitter.com/WVDgBKzOxy

— CNN (@CNN) January 21, 2017

Donald Trump's White House Press Secretary refutes claims of low numbers at #inauguration Read More: https://t.co/Z7hDyscu1f pic.twitter.com/MPimzSgfsh

— Globalnews.ca (@globalnews) January 21, 2017

"If you say there are no numbers, how can you say it's the largest crowd ever?" – a valid question shouted at Spicer as he leaves the room.

— Jessica Huseman (@JessicaHuseman) January 21, 2017

Trump drew a lot of people to DC. There is no doubt about that. But it was not the biggest crowd ever.

— Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) January 21, 2017

#Trump flack #SeanSpicer declares war on #WHpress over…crowd size! But it's true: protest crowds way larger than inauguration. Not close.

— Howard Fineman (@howardfineman) January 21, 2017

Comparing the crowds at Donald Trump’s and Barack Obama’s inaugurations https://t.co/YysDewDB9N pic.twitter.com/myrXutzMpH

— NYT Politics (@nytpolitics) January 21, 2017

"An expert on crowd estimates said he believed that Mr. Trump’s crowd was about one-third the size of Mr. Obama’s." https://t.co/rxc42S7rhe

— Jonathan Ellis (@jonathanellis) January 21, 2017

Spicer lied about DC Metro stats: said 420k used it Friday vs 317k for Obama's 2013 inaugural; in 2013 317k used it BY 11am, 782,000 overall https://t.co/B98PqoVoqW

— Robert Mackey (@RobertMackey) January 21, 2017

Spicer was also wrong about 420k number, DC Metro said it was 570k trips all day; vs 1.1 million in '09, 782k in '13 https://t.co/2fwUqRF7Jh https://t.co/irJblPxLND

— Robert Mackey (@RobertMackey) January 21, 2017

So, instead of Trump focusing on getting Mattis & Kelly confirmed & starting to govern, he's drawn attention to delusions abt his crowd size

— Laura Rozen (@lrozen) January 21, 2017

Why does @POTUS insist on calling more attention to the relatively paltry size of his inauguration crowd?

— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) January 21, 2017

War is peace.
Freedom is slavery.
Ignorance is strength.
Trump's inauguration crowd is the largest.

— David Leonhardt (@DLeonhardt) January 21, 2017

Sean Spicer says Trump's was the largest inaugural crowd ever — period.

— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) January 21, 2017

Such a crazy lie. Turns a story that doesn't matter much into one that does. If they lie when it's this obvious, then there's no limit. https://t.co/IPXxmLe5lD

— Jon Lovett (@jonlovett) January 21, 2017

He's counting on you turning it into a story. https://t.co/MW38Jx9ibn

— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) January 21, 2017

Or, the press could just have its say today and move on to other matters next week.

The White House has a powerful ability to set the natl agenda. @presssec statement just now means we likely start Monday talking crowd size

— Garrett Haake (@GarrettHaake) January 21, 2017

Again, picking a fight over crowd size seems like an unforced error. Was the crowd at Trump’s inauguration the biggest ever? No way, unless you also count the anarchists running around setting fires and spray-painting walls and breaking shop windows. The Trump campaign’s former digital director did make a good point, though.

MEDIA we get it. More people showed up for other events. Trump supporters are everyday Americans, $1000/day in D.C. is no joke. #elitists

— Brad Parscale (@parscale) January 21, 2017

My final pano photo from yesterday. Inaugural event turnout regardless of size is not a mandate. Media elitists continue to push this junk. pic.twitter.com/75sl9PuPa3

— Brad Parscale (@parscale) January 21, 2017

If relative crowd turnout were proof of a mandate, then the public could expect plenty of headlines next week about the nation’s overwhelming support for the pro-lifers banned from Saturday’s Women’s March.

https://twitter.com/AmyOtto8/status/822948227095740416

Next week pro-life protesters will show up in DC for the largest annual protest in Washington. You can find coverage of it on A12.

— Ben Domenech (@bdomenech) January 21, 2017

The March for Life averaged 250,000 attendees until a few years ago, when it jumped to 400,000. In 2013 650,000 people came. Again, see A12.

— Ben Domenech (@bdomenech) January 21, 2017

Had the Women's March attendees spent this much effort in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ohio, they might not be terrified today.

— Ben Domenech (@bdomenech) January 21, 2017

But that would've required them to travel to the Midwest and talk to and convince voters from Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ohio.

— Ben Domenech (@bdomenech) January 21, 2017

Which, let's face it, sounds kind of icky. I mean, do they even have bagels there?

— Ben Domenech (@bdomenech) January 21, 2017

Sorry, you'll have to read about it on B36 now. We need A12 to follow up on how Trump removed MLK's bust from the White House.

— Austere Gator Fan (@Gator_Country) January 21, 2017

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Related:

Side-splitting: What's larger than a Fluke crowd? Sandra Fluke's 'intimate gathering' rally fail equals comedy gold http://t.co/R8CFYS5W

— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) October 22, 2012