President Donald Trump smiled and saluted under a mixed torrent of boos from New Yorkers at Madison Square Garden while attending Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
Trump took the presidential suite of the arena shortly before the game started, with a high-profile retinue in tow. His appearance was guaranteed to draw strong reactions from the crowd, which was heard when the camera panned to him during the national anthem.
Naysayers got the first say, sending a torrent of boos and jeers right as the camera switched to his suite. Trump only smiled and saluted, triggering loud boos and a smattering of cheers mixing into a low roar from the crowd.
Associated Press reporter Michelle Price noted that his featuring on the screen drew widespread boos, but not as loud as when the San Antonio Spurs players were shown on the screen.
New York City is famously blue, turning the state into a Democratic bastion every election cycle. Its current mayor, Zohran Mamdani, is the first socialist to run a major American city.
Pictures and videos showed crowds of New Yorkers booing and flipping off his motorcade during its long route to Madison Square Garden.
Trump brought a high-profile retinue to occupy the presidential suite with him, including Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino, diplomats Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, attorney Boris Epshteyn, aide Natalie Harp, his granddaughter Kai Trump, and Director of White House Oval Office Operations Walt Nauta.
Trump’s granddaughter was standing next to him during the singing of the national anthem.
Speaking right before the game, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver noted that Trump was long a “fixture” at Madison Square Garden and that he is a “genuine Knicks fan.” His remarks were interpreted by some commentators as a direct rebuke of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’s (D-NY) claim that Trump wasn’t a true fan of the team.
TRUMP HOSTS LEE ZELDIN AND DAN SCAVINO IN PRESIDENTIAL SUITE FOR NBA FINALS
Knicks owner James Dolan is known to be close with Trump, donating to his campaign and allowing him to use Madison Square Garden for a campaign rally ahead of the 2024 election.
Trump’s attendance at the game makes him the first sitting president to attend the NBA Finals.
