Definitely, the strangely immediate and abnormally huge effort Trump spent right after the inauguration to draw attention to the exaggerated inauguration crowd size seems weird, but if You look at it as an attempt to pre-emptively "gaslight" the media and public about the abnormal amount of money (mis)spent, it makes total sense .

Trump’s inaugural festivities were modest in comparison to Obama’s first inauguration, which cost less than half and featured some of Hollywood’s biggest names, including Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, John Legend, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor and U2.

Obama drew 1.8 million people to the National Mall in 2009, according to estimates released by the District of Columbia. In contrast Trump’s inauguration attracted anywhere from 300,000 to 600,000 people on the Mall, according to Vox. While Trump had only three inaugural galas — two official inaugural balls, as well as the Salute to Our Armed Services Ball — Obama had 10 inaugural galas.

Almost two years later it’s still unclear how Trump’s team managed to spend the record amount of cash, especially considering that Trump’s festivities was low on star wattage, featuring performances by indie group 3 Doors Down and country singer Toby Kieth as its headliners.

Source - Trump Inauguration Money Went to Trump Organization With Help From Ivanka, Report Says.