Shortly after being sworn into office in 2017, President Trump dispatched his press secretary to announce to the gathered press, and the world, that the crowd in attendance at his inauguration had been larger than the crowds at any previous inauguration. The media quickly produced photographic evidence that proved this boast to be false. The President’s response, delivered by a close aide the next day, was that, in making the claim, the President was simply relying on “alternative facts”.