The first sitting president in American history to attend an NBA Finals game walked into Madison Square Garden on Monday night as a Knicks fan going home. What he got was something New York has rarely held back when given the chance to deliver it.
As Trump appeared on the Jumbotron during the national anthem, standing with his hand over his heart, the crowd at MSG unleashed what the White House press pool described as a “loud and long” cascade of boos. According to NBC News, the jeers only ended when the camera quickly cut to Knicks guard Jalen Brunson on the court, at which point the arena erupted in cheers. CNBC reported that Trump’s attendance caused waits of two hours or more for ticket-holding fans to get through security outside the arena.
Trump watched Game 3 from Knicks owner James Dolan’s private suite, accompanied by his granddaughter Kai Trump, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, and personal envoy Jared Kushner. Fox 11 Los Angeles noted that shortly after the booing, some fans began chanting “USA! USA!” as the flag remained on the screens.
The Knicks lost Game 3 to the San Antonio Spurs 115-111, ending a 13-game playoff winning streak. New York still leads the series two games to one.
When reporters caught up with Trump after the game, as he boarded Air Force One back to Washington, he was asked about the reception. “It was, I think, mostly cheers,” he told reporters, according to ABC7. “It was loud, and it was very enthusiastic.” Trump lost New York City by more than a million votes in the 2024 presidential election.
Time magazine reported that the moment drew particular attention because of its setting. Madison Square Garden in Manhattan is Trump’s hometown arena,the same city where he built his business empire and where his name adorns several buildings. To be booed there, at a basketball game, on a night his team lost, made for an image that will be difficult to shake.
Why it matters: The moment was brief, but its symbolic weight is not. A president who has cultivated an image of dominance and popular support was rejected, loudly and publicly, in the city that made him famous. New York’s political leanings are not news. But the image of a sitting president smiling through a chorus of boos during the national anthem, at the most watched game of the NBA season, is the kind of scene that circulates well beyond sports coverage.
New York gave Trump a standing booing. He called it enthusiasm. Who’s right?