As President Trump made his way down Pennsylvania Ave. for the traditional inaugural parade, there were a notable number of empty seats in the grandstands along the route. In particular, the stand next to the president's viewing stand was noticeably vacant.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee was to distribute tickets for those sections. The non-ticketed standing areas along the route were less sparse. Whether the ticket holders didn't show or the tickets were not given out, the empty seats made for bad optics, particularly on the television broadcast, and people on Twitter took notice.