Fans boo Trump in New York as he becomes first US president to attend NBA Finals
Donald Trump has been booed at a basketball match in New York as he became the first sitting US president to attend the NBA Finals.
The catcalls came after frustrated ticket holders waited for hours in queues that stretched more than two blocks outside Madison Square Garden on Monday due to the intense security restrictions that came with the US president’s appearance.
The New York Knicks lost 111-115 to the San Antonio Spurs in game three of the best-of-seven NBA finals, cutting the Knicks’ lead in the series to 2-1.
After the game, Trump told reporters: “It was, I think, mostly cheers. It was loud, and it was very enthusiastic.”
Booing broke out on Monday evening when a camera showed Trump on large screens in the arena, saluting as a singer performed the national anthem.
The president attended with his granddaughter Kai Trump and Knicks owner James Dolan, along with members of his administration that included Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, EPA administrator Lee Zeldin and special envoy Steve Witkoff.
The Republican president, who was born in the New York City borough of Queens, has had a difficult relationship with his heavily Democratic hometown.
Trump, who had been at his New Jersey golf club earlier in the day, flew to downtown Manhattan by taking the Marine One helicopter. He then travelled by motorcade to the venue.
Trump’s arrival meant the streets around Madison Square Garden were shut down to foot and vehicle traffic. Thousands of New York Police Department officers and hundreds of Secret Service officers were deployed.
Metal barriers were put up at each block as sports fans faced an airport-style gauntlet of security.
For bars in the area showing the finals game, this would normally be a lucrative night. But the barriers stopped foot traffic and left many pubs empty.
Disgruntled Knicks fans as well as regular commuters struggled to navigate the celebrations.
One New Yorker told the BBC the high security was “killing the vibe of the Knicks”.
This season has represented a stunning reversal of fortune for the Knicks, appearing in their first Finals since 1999 after decades as one of the worst teams in the league.
