'American carnage,' crowd-size fight: A look back at Trump's 1st inauguration

When Donald Trump takes the oath as the 47th president at Monday's inauguration, comparisons undoubtedly will be made to his memorable address from eight years ago.

In 2017, after being sworn in, Trump began his presidency with a dark speech laden with hard conservative rhetoric that not only echoed his 2016 campaign but would set the stage for his first term.

Unlike the uplifting language used by presidents past, he painted a picture of "mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities and rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation." He spoke of an America where "crime and gangs and drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential."

He made other controversial and at times false claims about the state of the nation's education system, defense, economy and the southern border.

Then, he famously declared, "The American carnage stops right here, right now. From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land. From this day forward, it's going to be only America first. America first."

He eventually turned more positive, telling Americans, "This moment is your moment. It belongs to you. It belongs to everyone gathered here today and everyone watching all across America."

In another oft-quoted line, he added, "The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer."

Although the speech was relatively short, the impression it left -- and the controversy it created -- has followed Trump to this day.

Crowd size controversy

Although the National Park Service does not make crowd estimates, it was clear the crowd gathered on the National Mall -- that Trump looked out on as as he gave his speech -- was sparse.

Then-press secretary Sean Spicer held a brief White House news conference the day after, reportedly at Trump's insistence, blasting the press for their coverage of how many showed up and the images they used -- making the incredulous claim that the crowd "was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration -- period -- both in person and around the globe."

He also made false claims, which he later walked back, that the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority had incorrect numbers for chronicling Metro ridership during the inauguration.

WMATA said mass transit ridership on Inauguration Day in 2017 prior to 11 a.m. was 193,000 trips. By comparison, there were 317,000 rides as of 11 a.m. during Obama's second Inauguration Day in 2013 and 513,000 rides as of 11 a.m. during his first inauguration in 2009, according to WMATA data.

While Monday's inauguration was supposed to be held on the steps of the Capitol, severe weather forced the ceremony to be moved inside the Rotunda.

At noon, as Trump becomes the 16th president to be be sworn in for a second term, the temperature is predicted to be about 18 degrees -- the coldest in 40 years, with a wind chill making it feel like it's between 5 and 10 degrees.

The number of guests allowed inside the Capitol will be significantly limited, and Trump said the presidential parade has been moved from Pennsylvania Avenue to inside Capital One Arena. Trump has encouraged his supporters to dress warmly if they still venture to National Mall, saying, "I don’t want to see people hurt, or injured, in any way."