Trump watches game three with his granddaughter Kai Trump and Knicks owner James Dolan.
Photo: Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images/AFP via Getty Images
Donald Trump’s decision to attend game three of the NBA Finals in Madison Square Garden on Monday night caused a lot of consternation. Due to enhanced security measures, fans who paid eye-popping sums to see the New York Knicks play the San Antonio Spurs had to deal with long lines, street closures, and a strict no-bag policy.
But if you only get your news from Truth Social, you’ll see that New Yorkers were just happy to see their favorite president! Around 2 a.m., Trump shared an X post from a Fox News contributor captioned “NYC loves @realDonaldTrump.” The video (which he posted twice) seems to show fans cheering and chanting “Trump! Trump! Trump!” as the the presidential motorcade rolls by:
If you check almost any other news source, Trump’s reception was a tad different. The pool reporter traveling with the president “counted two middle fingers and one thumbs-down” on the way to MSG, along with some unfriendly signs:
One sign side “Nobody wants you here.” Another said “Trump must go,” and two others said “Impeach. Convict. Remove.”
And in this video, you can hear people on the street loudly boo Trump’s motorcade, then break into a chant of “Go Knicks, fuck Trump!”
Okay, but maybe one guy was actually chanting “Go Knicks, luck Trump.” But things didn’t get any better for the president inside the arena.
“POTUS was thunderously booed when he was shown on the Jumbotron during the National anthem,” wrote pool reporter Jeff Mordock. “It was loud and long, but quickly changed to cheers when the camera quickly panned to Jalen Brunson on the court.”
The president got a similar reaction at the official watch party in Bryant Park:
Trump — who was seated with his granddaughter Kai Trump, MSG CEO James Dolan, and several administration officials — smiled through the jeers:
Later, Trump was caught sleeping — or perhaps “listening intensely” — during the game:
The Knicks ultimately lost to the Spurs 115-111. And as Trump’s motorcade exited MSG, he was hit with more boos and heckles like, “You suck!”:
Nevertheless, when asked about his reception outside Air Force One at JFK airport, Trump said it was “amazing.”
“I thought it was great. I mean, I thought it was amazing, actually. You mean when they had the camera on me? I thought it was very good,” Trump said. “It was certainly amazing. It was, it was, I think, mostly cheers. It was loud, and it was very enthusiastic.”
Then Trump headed back to the White House and informed the world that NYC actually “loves” him (if only in his dreams).
