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Donald Trump Thanks Iranian Photographer Who Captured His Inauguration

Jan 28, 2026 January 28, 2026 2 min read 📰 Radio Farda
📋 Key Takeaway

Donald Trump expressed gratitude to Iranian-American photographer Abbas ShirMohammadi for capturing his inauguration ceremony. The photo, however, contains a date error, which has sparked discussions about the actual crowd size at the event. This incident highlights ongoing controversies regarding media representation of Trump's inauguration.

🔍 Quick Context Guide
💡 Bottom Line: Trump's acknowledgment of an Iranian-American photographer amidst ongoing controversies illustrates the nuanced cultural ties between the U.S. and Iran.

👥 Key Players

Donald Trump MENTIONED
U.S. President
"As the leader of the United States, Trump's actions and statements significantly influence U.S.-Iran relations and global politics."
Abbas ShirMohammadi MENTIONED
Iranian-American Photographer
"His work represents the intersection of Iranian culture and American political life, highlighting the contributions of Iranian-Americans."

📰 What Happened

President Trump tweeted a photo of his inauguration taken by Iranian-American photographer Abbas ShirMohammadi, which contained a date error. This incident has reignited discussions about the crowd size at the inauguration and media representation.

  • The photo incorrectly marked the date as January 21 instead of January 20.
  • The tweet comes amid ongoing debates about the actual attendance at Trump's inauguration compared to previous ones.

💡 Why It Matters

🇮🇷 For Iran: This highlights the contributions of Iranian-Americans in U.S. society, which may influence perceptions of Iranians in the U.S.
🌍 Regional: It reflects the complex relationship between the U.S. and Iran, particularly in cultural exchanges.
🌐 International: The incident underscores ongoing tensions in U.S. media narratives and the portrayal of political events.

📚 Background

The U.S. and Iran have a long history of tension, especially since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Iranian-Americans often navigate their identities within this complex geopolitical landscape.

U.S.-Iran relations Media representation in politics
📡 Source: NEUTRAL
📊 Confidence: 70%
The article presents factual information without evident bias, focusing on the event and its implications.

On Tuesday, November 5, U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted a panoramic image of his inauguration taken by Iranian-American photographer Abbas ShirMohammadi, who resides in Virginia. In his tweet, Trump mentioned that this photo would be displayed in the White House press room, which already features numerous other images from prominent photographers. ShirMohammadi, born in Yazd, specializes in panoramic photography and has been pursuing this art since moving to the U.S. 37 years ago, particularly photographing world politicians. For example, he was the special photographer for Hillary Clinton for many years and has also photographed figures like Ronald Reagan and Nelson Mandela. ShirMohammadi's photo depicts the crowd present at Trump's swearing-in ceremony, which, according to the British newspaper 'Independent,' has a major flaw: the date on the photo is incorrectly marked as January 21 instead of January 20. The 'Independent' suggests this mistake might have occurred because Barack Obama's inauguration in 2013 was exceptionally on January 21, a ceremony ShirMohammadi also photographed. On January 21 of this year, a women's protest against Trump took place in Washington, which, according to the Deputy Mayor of Washington, had over a million participants. Trump's tweet featuring ShirMohammadi's photo comes amid ongoing debates about the number of attendees at the inauguration and how the crowd was portrayed by American media. On February 2, Trump stated at CIA headquarters, 'I spoke. I think there were a million, a million and a half people in the area.' He criticized media outlets that reported different figures, labeling them as 'among the most dishonest people on Earth.' White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer also supported Trump's claims, stating, 'This was the largest crowd to ever witness an inauguration, both in person and around the globe.' However, American media, by comparing photos from Obama's 2009 inauguration and Trump's 2017 ceremony, argue that the number of attendees this year was one-third of the eight years ago event.

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Translated from the original and edited for English readers. View original source →

Translation confidence: 85%

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