Low attendance at Biden’s 2021 inauguration? This video omits key context

Biden inauguration crowd, 1-20-2021 — Guests and spectators attend the 59th Presidential Inauguration for President Joe Biden at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. (AP)

Although the 2020 election is years in the rearview mirror and a new presidential contest is quickly approaching, social media users reshared footage from President Joe Biden’s 2021 inauguration to rehash election misinformation.

One video, shared Sept. 23 on Instagram, shows a nearly vacant National Mall during Biden’s Jan. 20, 2021, inauguration ceremony in Washington, D.C. The filming appears to be taking place in a press area several blocks from the U.S. Capitol.

“We’re here at the inauguration. It’s the most bizarre scene you ever saw in your life. There’s like 100 people at the Biden inauguration and it’s dystopian,” says someone off camera.

Later in the video, the person says, “It’s eerie, you know, the first time Biden got thousands of people to his event, but they’re all National Guardsmen who are forced to be here. There is no security threat down here. It’s just a lie. And I think they brought in these 25,000 troops because Biden couldn’t get enough people to his inauguration. And it’s a cover. It’s very sad.”

Figure 1: Biden inauguration crowd claim edited screenshot

Screengrab from Instagram

At the end of the video, the person says to stay tuned to Real America’s Voice News, a conservative streaming channel and website. PolitiFact reached out to the site to verify whether one of its employees took this footage, but did not hear back before publication.

Text on the video reads, “Amazing video and kudos to whoever is behind the camera. True footage of Biden’s inauguration.”

This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

Although the in-person audience at Biden’s 2021 inauguration was small, this video omits important context. The crowd size was limited because of concerns related to the spread of COVID-19 and security following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Biden’s inauguration committee encouraged people to stay home and watch the ceremony virtually to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19.

Tickets for the event also were limited. Usually, 200,000 tickets are distributed among members of Congress for their constituents. But because of the pandemic, the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies only gave members of Congress tickets for themselves and one guest each.

Security measures around Washington, D.C., were enhanced because rioters had stormed the Capitol two weeks before. The National Mall was closed to the public on Inauguration Day, and additional streets were closed to expand the security perimeter around the event.

Also, 25,000 National Guard members, along with Secret Service agents and police officers, were stationed in Washington for the inauguration, in case more violence broke out.

Because of these restrictions, a small audience of about 1,000 people attended Biden’s inauguration.

We rate the claim that “they brought in 25,000 (National Guard members) because Biden couldn’t get enough people to his inauguration” False.

Truth-o-meter Ruling

False

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The audience size at President Joe Biden’s Jan. 20, 2021, inauguration was limited because of concerns related to the spread of COVID-19 and security following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.