Donald Trump responded on social media after being loudly booed during an appearance at a New York Knicks game
Trump attended Monday night’s NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden on June 8, where the New York Knicks were beaten 115-111 by the San Antonio Spurs.
During Avery Wilson’s performance of the national anthem, the president appeared on the arena jumbotron and was met with a wave of boos from sections of the crowd.
At moments, the reaction seemed loud enough to nearly overpower the anthem as Trump watched from a private suite.
Trump was attending as a guest of Knicks owner James Dolan, and his appearance added an extra layer of security around the arena and the surrounding streets in Midtown Manhattan.
After the game, Trump posted on Truth Social in the early hours of the morning following his visit to the arena.
The post, shared shortly after 2am, featured footage of spectators lining 34th Street in Manhattan as the presidential motorcade made its way toward Madison Square Garden.
The reception in the clip appeared divided, with some onlookers cheering and others booing. Some voices seemed to chant Trump’s name, while one person could be heard singing “Donald Trump is coming to town” to the melody of Santa Claus is Coming to Town.
Trump later addressed reporters about the crowd reaction while speaking outside Air Force One.
“I thought great, I mean, I thought it was amazing, actually,” he said on Monday night. “You mean, when they had the camera on me?
“I thought it was very good. It was certainly amazing. I think it was mostly cheers.
“It was loud, and it was very enthusiastic.”
The Knicks loss came in front of a sell-out crowd and cut into the team’s momentum in the Finals, with Trump’s appearance quickly becoming one of the biggest talking points of the night alongside the result itself.
People online also weighed in on the moment, with one person writing: “They thought people wouldn’t boo if they showed him during the national anthem.”
Another said: “They booed louder for Trump than they did for the Spurs you gotta respect it.”
A third posted: “Genuinely what made him think it would be a good idea for him to go?”
Outside the arena, access to the usual gathering areas for fans was more restricted than normal because of the presidential visit, and New York police later dealt with disorder a few blocks from Madison Square Garden after the game.
Basketball is not the only major sporting focus in the US at the moment. The 2026 FIFA World Cup is now underway across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan of Somalia has reportedly been denied entry to the US and will miss the tournament, despite having been selected by FIFA. Reports have also said that some members of Iran’s technical and executive staff faced visa problems ahead of the competition, even though Iranian players were ultimately granted entry.