Trump Inauguration: Facebook And Instagram Ads Targeting Users To Lure Them To Ceremony

If you’re 27 years or older, chances are President-elect Donald Trump wants to get you to go to his inauguration on Jan. 20, by buying Facebook and Instagram ads.

Apparently Trump is having trouble getting people to his swearing-in ceremony and is buying ads targeted at those 27-years-old and above to “personally” invite them to his inauguration, the Gothamist reported.

“Would you like an invite to the Inaugural Welcome Concert and Inaugural Swearing-In Ceremony?” the ad starts off.

The ad was first spotted by The Tonight Show ’s Marina Cockenberg, who tweeted a screenshot of it on Twitter. When clicking on the "Why Am I Seeing This Ad" button, Facebook says the Trump team “wants to reach people ages 27 and older who live in New York.”

The video of Trump personally inviting you to his inauguration can be viewed here. The ad was allegedly also spotted on Instagram:

The inauguration ads come after Facebook was pressured by lawmakers and civil rights groups to curb its so-called “ethnic affinity marketing” for some advertisements. Facebook announced last November it would do so. Until the announcement, the platform allowed advertisers to use “ethnic affinity” and other parameters such as gender, age, favorite movies, food preferences and geography to determine user-targeted ads.

Trump Inauguration Not Good For Business

Trump has repeatedly bragged about how many people will attend his inauguration.

“We are going to have an unbelievable, perhaps record-setting turnout for the inauguration, and there will be plenty of movie and entertainment stars,” Trump told The New York Times after the Golden Globes. “All the dress shops are sold out in Washington. It’s hard to find a great dress for this inauguration.”

Meanwhile, D.C. boutiques owners have said otherwise.

“There’s never been less demand for inaugural ball gowns in my 38 years,” a boutique owner told People. “Never ever has it been less for the inaugural.”

Scalpers are also losing out on the money. One scalper who bought a pair of inauguration tickets for $700 hoped to sell them for $1,400, but can’t get anyone to buy them.

“Nobody wants to buy them," Yossi Rosenberg told the Daily News. "It looks like I'm stuck with them, I might even have to go."

Celebrities Back Out Of Performing at Inauguration

Trump has had some trouble securing celebrities to perform at his inauguration, compared to President Barack Obama’s lineup, which included Beyonce, Stevie Wonder, Kelly Clarkson, Shakira and others.

Toby Keith, 3 Doors Down, The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and America’s Got Talent star Jackie Evancho will play at Trump’s inauguration. The Rockettes will also be there, even though some dancers said they did not want to perform for the president-elect.

Meanwhile, Elton John, Andrea Bocelli and Charlotte Church have declined to perform at the inauguration. Jennifer Holliday and the Bruce Springsteen cover band dropped out of the ceremony.

However, many celebrities, including Katy Perry, America Ferrera, John Legend, Cher, Scarlett Johansson and many others, will be in D.C. to protest against Trump on his second day in office.

Politicians Skip Inauguration

After Trump’s Twitter attack this weekend against Democratic congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis, dozens of politicians say they will not attend the inauguration. As of Tuesday afternoon, the number of representatives skipping out on Trump’s swearing-in ceremony stood at nearly 50.

Officials are expecting 800,000 to 900,000 people to attend Trump’s inauguration, as opposed to the 1.8 million people who attended Obama's ceremony in 2009.