Donald Trump is reportedly planning to attend an NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden, where the New York Knicks are set to return to the championship stage for the first time since 1999. If he does appear, the moment will likely be about more than basketball. Trump’s presence would add political tension, heightened security, and intense crowd reaction to one of the biggest sports nights in New York City. Presidents appearing at sporting events is not unusual, but Trump has often drawn a more polarized response than most. At many games, he has been met with both cheers and boos, and sometimes the reaction has become part of the event itself.
The article looks back at some of the most notable times Trump was booed or mixed-reaction crowds greeted him at major sporting events. In 2015, long before his presidency, he was shown on the video screens at the U.S. Open during a Serena Williams and Venus Williams match and was loudly booed by the crowd. In 2018, at the national championship game in Atlanta between Alabama and Georgia, his entrance drew a split reaction of cheers and boos.
One of the most memorable moments came during Game 5 of the 2019 World Series in Washington, D.C. When Trump appeared on the stadium videoboard, the crowd booed loudly and began chanting “lock him up,” turning the scene into a viral political sports moment. Days later, Trump attended UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden and again received a mixed response, with both cheers and boos from the crowd. The reaction stood out because UFC audiences are often seen as more Trump-friendly than other sports fans.
More recently, Trump was booed at the 2025 U.S. Open men’s final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Reports said fans booed when he appeared in his suite and again when he was shown on the stadium screens, while his security presence also caused delays and long lines. He also drew boos at a Yankees game on Sept. 11, 2025, when his appearance during the national anthem and later in the game prompted mixed reactions that leaned negative. In another high-profile moment, Trump attended a regular-season NFL game between the Washington Commanders and Detroit Lions in 2025, becoming the first sitting president in decades to attend such a game. When he appeared on the videoboard, fans booed, and the clip spread quickly online.
The overall theme is clear: wherever Trump appears in a sports setting, the reaction often becomes part of the story. If he attends the NBA Finals at MSG, the atmosphere could be just as much about politics, symbolism, and crowd reaction as the game itself.
