| USA TODAY
Joe Biden promises to be ‘president for all Americans’ during the inauguration
In his 21-minute inaugural address, President Joe Biden promised to be “a president for all Americans.”
USA TODAY
The claim: Joe Biden could not have been the most popular presidential candidate in American history due to the size of the crowd at his inauguration
Following the inauguration of President Joe Biden on January 20, social media users began sharing photos of Biden’s small inauguration crowd claiming that Biden had won the election unfairly, although election officials said the election was fair and that there was no evidence. that widespread fraud.
In such a post, it is alleged that Biden could not get the most votes for a US presidential candidate because his crowd was smaller than the audience during President Donald Trump’s inauguration in 2017.
“They still want us to believe that Joe Biden was the most popular presidential candidate in American history?” on a Facebook page, a viral message was written with a photo comparison of both inauguration ceremonies.
Fact check:Meme with images of Biden, Trump inaugurations draw false comparison
The center was shared by a group called the Restoration PAC, a super PAC that spent millions to strengthen Republican candidates, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The post received approximately 4,500 responses and 1,900 shares. USA TODAY issued Restoration PAC for comment.
Another user shared a similar viral post, claiming that Biden ‘could not even get more than 12 people at his’ rallies’. “USA TODAY directed the user to comment.
Attendance limits, security issues at Biden’s inauguration
While the crowd at Biden’s swearing-in ceremony was smaller than Trump’s, there were restrictions on preventing the spread of COVID-19, USA TODAY reported. Fewer tickets were distributed and metro stations across the district were closed.
Columbia District Mayor Muriel Bowser also urged people to celebrate the inauguration at home after a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, killing five people.
“Our goals at present are to encourage Americans to virtually participate and to protect the District of Columbia from a repeat of the violent uprising experienced in the Capitol on January 6,” Bowser said at a news conference.
After the Capitol siege, more than 25,000 members of the national guard were deployed to DC to provide additional security at Biden’s inauguration, according to the USA TODAY.
Biden got the most votes
It is true that Biden won the most votes for a US presidential candidate, with about 81 million votes. Both candidates for 2020 received a record number of votes, with Trump winning about 74 million votes, US reported TODAY.
The previous record was held by Barack Obama, who won more than 69 million votes in the 2008 election against John McCain, a Republican senator from Arizona.
Since 2008, the U.S. population has grown from 304 million people to more than 330 million people by 2020, according to the New York Times.
Fact check: Vice President Kamala Harris used 2 Bibles when she was sworn in
Although Trump and his supporters have claimed that Biden won the election unfairly, these allegations are unfounded and lawsuits seeking to challenge the election results have largely failed.
Our rating: false
The claim that President Joe Biden could not win the most votes for a presidential candidate in American history due to his small inauguration crowd is FALSE, based on our research. There were restrictions on Biden’s inauguration due to COVID-19, as well as major security issues following the January 6 riot in Capitol. Biden won more than 81 million votes and broke former President Barack Obama’s record in 2008.
Our fact-checking sources:
- The Center for Responsive Politics gained access to “Restoration PAC” on 26 January
- USA TODAY January 20, “Fact Check: Attendance at Biden’s Inauguration Limited by COVID-19 Pandemic”
- USA TODAY, January 17, “‘No stone unturned’: all 25K National Guard troops for Biden’s inauguration to undergo additional investigations”
- USA TODAY, December 9, 2020, “Fact Test: Biden won the most votes – and the least provinces – of any president-elect”
- USA TODAY, November 4, 2020, “Joe Biden makes history with the total votes received, beating Barack Obama’s record”
- The New York Times, November 4, 2020, “Biden Exceeds Obama’s 2008 Total in Voting (by Stars)”
- USA TODAY, December 15, 2020, “Fact Check: Joe Biden Legally Wins Presidential Election, Despite Persistent Conflicting Claims”
- USA TODAY, December 5, 2020, “For these Trump supporters who wanted to believe the defeat was a civic duty to challenge the election”
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