“It is not normal,” said Kim Fuller, a scheduler for Rep. Gregory Meeks (pictured), in an interview after being contacted by POLITICO about the series of staffer emails. | AP Photo Democrats denied tickets for Trump inauguration festivities

House Democrats say they are having trouble getting tickets to inaugural festivities for President-elect Donald Trump, leading some to openly speculate it might be a sign of rancorous partisanship to come.

An email list used by House Democratic schedulers has been a flurry of activity over the past couple of weeks, with staffers complaining they’re having a hard time getting tickets for their bosses to the inaugural parade and ball.


“It is not normal,” said Kim Fuller, a scheduler for Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), in an interview after being contacted by POLITICO about the series of staffer emails. Fuller said she wasn’t necessarily trying to get tickets for her boss but reached out to the committee in charge of inaugural festivities to see whether she would get the same response as other Democrats.

Fuller sent an email to the listserv Thursday night saying her liaison at the Presidential Inaugural Committee confirmed rumors that Republicans were automatically given tickets to the parade and ball while Democratic offices were expected to request those tickets and even then, there was no guarantee they’d get to attend.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee held a ticket distribution event at Republican National Committee headquarters earlier this week for all GOP offices to pick up member tickets to the welcome concert, parade and ball, according to a inaugural committee email obtained by POLITICO.

“Not only is it unfair but it deepens the chasm between our parties and confirms that we will not be considered,” Fuller said in her note to other schedulers.

Fuller said she’s heard from at least a dozen other House Democratic offices that are experiencing the same problems getting tickets. POLITICO also obtained several emails from other Democratic staffers with similar complaints. A handful of Senate Democratic offices also told POLITICO they had no outreach from the inaugural committee about tickets to the ball or the parade.

Two senior House Democratic aides said the issue hasn’t filtered up to the top leadership ranks and noted that it might just be a disorganized committee, not partisan motives at work.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee did not return multiple requests for comment. A Trump transition spokesman deferred to the PIC.

Fuller, who has been through four inaugurations, said not guaranteeing lawmakers, regardless of party, tickets to the festivities related to the inauguration is unprecedented.

“Either way, it’s not the way you do things,” she said. “Things are worse now than they’ve ever been before.”

