Donald Trump's inauguration cake looks very similar to Barack Obama's

The President of the United States has hit out against reports that considerably fewer people turned out to his swearing in ceremony than to Barack Obama’s first inauguration.

Trump’s press officer, Sean Spicer, called the reports “dishonest”.

We had a massive field of people, you saw them - packed. I get up this morning, I turn on one of the networks and they show an empty field.

Although there are no official figures for attendance, estimates are that approximately 250,000 people attended Trump’s inauguration.

Spicer claimed that:

This was the largest audience to ever witness the inauguration, period, both in person and around the globe.

This was demonstrably false and easily disputed with figures from Washington DC's public transportation system, and by quotes from United States Secret Servicemen, as well as painfully obvious comparisons between aerial images of Obama's and Trump's inauguration.

On Friday, Donald Trump cut into a richly decorated cake during his third and final ball to mark his presidency.

Picture: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/GETTY

World-renowned baker Duff Goldman, of Food Network, tweeted the following images:

The photo on the left is a cake he baked for Barack Obama’s second inaugural ball, in 2013.

The one on the right is Trump’s cake.

They’re exactly the same.

What happened?

Buttercream Bakeshop owner Tiffany MacIsaac, who was commissioned to bake Trump’s cake, took to Instagram to clarify:

While we most love creating original designs, when we are asked to replicate someone else's work we are thrilled when it is a masterpiece like this one.

MacIsaac told The Washington Post that while she encouraged the bakers to use the Obama cake as inspiration, Trump’s committee was specific.

They said, 'Nope, they want this exact cake. It's perfect.' And we said, 'Great'.

In fact, MacIsaac’s client had produced a photo of the cake from Obama’s inauguration, and asked her bakery to replicate it.

Last year Melania Trump was the centre of controversy after key parts of a speech she made about her husband, were unerringly similar to the one Michelle Obama made eight years prior.

What’s that about imitation and flattery?

More: Sir Ian McKellen has the perfect message for President Donald Trump

More: Trump's inauguration hats were made in China