President Donald Trump was hailed with a chorus of boos on Monday night while attending Game 3 of the NBA finals to watch his hometown New York Knicks face off against the San Antonio Spurs.
Trump—the first sitting president to attend an NBA finals game—went as the guest of Knicks owner James Dolan, a long-time friend of the President who donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to his presidential campaigns.
Trump’s planned attendance drew vocal backlash even before he set foot in Madison Square Garden on Monday. The President, already widely unpopular in the blue city, sparked further outrage from Knicks fans when the increased security necessitated by his presence led to a highly anticipated watch party previously set to take place outside the arena being canceled.
The Knicks meanwhile warned fans attending the game to expect “enhanced security measures” for the roughly 20,000-person arena, telling them to arrive “at least” two hours ahead of the game and to limit what they brought with them to “an absolute minimum.”
Trump’s attendance on Monday has drawn criticism from Democratic New York lawmakers as well.
“Knicks fans just want to enjoy Game 3,” House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries told reporters on Monday, sporting a Knicks cap. “It’s not clear to me that Donald Trump is a big Knicks fan … He’s just injecting himself into the NBA finals because he always has to bring the MAGA circus into town, and that’s unfortunate.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said on an Instagram story Sunday that Trump’s attendance “already has been a vibe killer, because now the city has to shut down all the MSG watch parties that happen outside of the arena.” She called the watch parties outside of the Garden “the source of so much fun for everybody.”
“Sports are at the forefront of American culture, and President Trump loves them as the people’s president,” White House spokesperson Olivia Wales told TIME in a statement ahead of the game. “As a lifelong fan, President Trump looks forward to watching the Knicks compete to bring home their first NBA championship in more than 50 years at Madison Square Garden tonight. U.S. Secret Service and NYPD’s important efforts will ensure this historic game is safe for all attendees.”
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New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani is also in attendance at the game on Monday night.
Mamdani announced earlier Monday that a watch party would be held at Bryant Park in lieu of the scuttled event outside of the Garden.
The Mayor made the decision “after the U.S. Secret Service and the NYPD determined that a watch party could not be held outside Madison Square Garden due to the heightened security requirements associated with President Trump’s attendance,” his office wrote.
Additional city-mandated watch parties were being held at Central Park’s Wollman Rink and Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg. New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said during a press conference on Monday that watch parties would resume outside of the Garden for Game 4 on Wednesday.
“These watch parties have become a celebration of New York City itself,” Mamdani said in a statement. “From every borough and every neighborhood, this city has come together to cheer on the Knicks and share in a moment that belongs to all of us.”
Thousands of Knicks fans have turned out to celebrate the team making the finals and to gather to watch the previous two games in the series, both of which were hosted in San Antonio—and both of which the Knicks won.
A viewing party held at Madison Square Garden during Game 2 on Friday became rowdy in the wake of the team’s victory, leading to more than a dozen arrests. Among those arrested was a woman who allegedly punched a police officer.
Mamdani called the assault on the officer “unacceptable” in a social media post at the time. “New Yorkers are rightfully excited about the Knicks’ historic Finals run, and we want fans to celebrate this moment together. There is, however, no place for violence, and no tolerance for attacks on police officers.”
If the Knicks win the series against the Spurs, it will mark their first NBA championship since 1973—more than half a century ago.
The tickets for the finals games in New York have been some of the most expensive in sports history, with some courtside seats being auctioned off by the Knicks for as much as $1,000,000, according to Business Insider.
When asked about the high ticket prices not being affordable for every-day Americans, Trump said “that’s the way life goes” and that “it’s sort of semi-free to watch it on television.”
Players on both teams were asked about Trump’s attendance ahead of Game 3.
Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox said that “the President being here just makes it inconvenient on everyone else,” noting the extra steps and security his team has to go through due to Trump’s visit.
The Knicks’ OG Anunoby said, “I think he’ll just be there watching. We’re going to go as usual, play our game. Try to win the game.”
This is not Trump’s first visit to a major sports match as a sitting President. Since returning to the White House last year, he has attended several high-profile events, including the Super Bowl in February, the FIFA Club World Cup Final last July, and the U.S. Open in September, in addition to professional matches in wrestling, racing, golf, and football.
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