--- description: Kellyanne Conway said White House press secretary Sean Spicer used "alternative facts" to describe inauguration crowds title: Kellyanne Conway Defends White House's Falsehoods as 'Alternative Facts' image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbc3fa3c2e0c72153/6988b6b32dce0150649ebfec/kellyanne-conway.jpg?branch=production ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [White House](/tag/white-house/) ## White House Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Kellyanne Conway Defends White House's Falsehoods as 'Alternative Facts' by [Mahita Gajanan](/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Jan 22, 2017 4:26 PM CUT  Counselor to President Donald Trump, Kellyanne Conway prepares to go on the air in front of the White House in Washington on Jan. 22, 2017. Counselor to President Donald Trump, Kellyanne Conway prepares to go on the air in front of the White House in Washington on Jan. 22, 2017.Carlos Barria—Reuters by [Mahita Gajanan](/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Jan 22, 2017 4:26 PM CUT President [Donald Trump](http://time.com/4642323/womens-march-washington-donald-trump-inauguration/ "undefined")‘s counselor [Kellyanne Conway](http://time.com/4641016/kelly-anne-conway-memes/ "undefined") said White House press secretary Sean Spicer used “alternative facts” when he falsely called the crowds at Trump’s swearing-in ceremony “the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period, both in person and around the globe.” Spicer on Saturday gave a five-minute statement to the press [riddled with falsehoods](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/21/us/politics/trump-white-house-briefing-inauguration-crowd-size.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=a-lede-package-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news "undefined") and claimed photos showing clearly that the audience for Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration was [significantly larger](http://time.com/4641381/donald-trump-inauguration-crowd/ "undefined") than Trump’s on Friday was an attempt by the media to “minimize enormous support that had gathered on the National Mall.” Appearing on NBC’s _Meet the Press_, Conway staunchly defended Spicer, and said his untrue statements were “alternative facts.” When asked by host Chuck Todd why Spicer used his first appearance in front of the press to proclaim falsehoods, Conway said Todd was being “overly dramatic” about the statement. “You’re saying it’s a falsehood, and they’re giving— Sean Spicer, our press secretary, gave alternative facts to that,” she said. Todd countered Conway: “Alternative facts are not facts. They are falsehoods.” Watch the exchange below. > [](https://twitter.com/MeetThePress/status/823184384559878144) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4642689/kellyanne-conway-sean-spicer-donald-trump-alternative-facts/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4642689/kellyanne-conway-sean-spicer-donald-trump-alternative-facts/"},"headline":"Kellyanne Conway Defends White House's Falsehoods as 'Alternative Facts'","datePublished":"2017-01-22T16:26:05.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T02:51:49.931Z","description":"\"Alternative facts are not facts. 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