Donald Trump and his granddaughter Kai smirked through a chorus of brutal boos from the New York Knicks crowd at Madison Square Garden on Monday night.
The president shut down large swathes of Manhattan ahead of his arrival at Game 3 of the NBA Finals, with a steel ring erected around the famous arena and watch parties canceled in anticipation of his arrival in the Big Apple.
Many slammed the president as ‘selfish’ for deciding to attend New York’s big homecoming night, and fans made their feelings clear ahead of the game when he was shown on the jumbotron inside MSG.
As the Star Spangled Banner was performed, boos – described as ‘thunderous’ by the official White House pool report – rang out around the arena for around 10 seconds, before the camera cut back to the players on court.
The president appeared to take the negative reaction in his stride, raising a wry smile to the crowd as he saluted and then raised a fist to the anthem, which was being sung by Grammy Award-nominated artist Avery Wilson.
His granddaughter Kai, standing alongside him, also appeared to smirk at the boos as the pair watched on from behind the protective screens.
Donald Trump and his granddaughter Kai smirked as boos rang around MSG on Monday
The president was given a brutal welcome by Knicks fans ahead of Game 3 of the NBA Finals
Trump saluted the crowd but was met by ‘thunderous’ boos from the fervent Knicks fans
Outside the arena, Trump was greeted by expletive-laden signs and furious Knicks fans
At the Bryant Park watch party, Knicks fans made their feelings clear towards the president
Rather than a highly-coveted $50,000 courtside seat for the Spurs-Knicks Game 3 showdown, the president was behind bulletproof glass in a suite at mid-level inside MSG.
Alongside Kai, he was joined by Knicks owner James Dolan – wearing a garish orange suit – as well as interior secretary Doug Burgum and transportation secretary Sean Duffy.
When the jumbotron changed from Trump to Knicks superstar Jalen Brunson, the deafening boos changed to wild cheers.
Outside the arena, meanwhile, thousands of fans – who had shelled out eyewatering amounts for their tickets – were forced to line up for hours in the New York heat.
All fans entering MSG went through extra security checks and metal detectors before entering, and the steel ring meant that fans were subjected to lengthy waits that threatened to see them miss tip-off.
Trump arrived in Manhattan via a helicopter into the Wall Street Landing Zone, where his motorcade then raced up to Madison Square Garden.
En route to the arena, the president was subjected to middle fingers and thumbs down from the New York public, as reported by the White House pool.
The president was flanked by granddaughter Kai (left) and Knicks owner James Dolan (center)
Trump waves to the lines of Knicks fans around Madison Square Garden as he arrives
The president’s motorcade arrived at MSG shortly after 7:30pm, with many fans stuck outside
Several others held signs that read ‘Nobody wants you here’, ‘Trump must go’, and two others said: ‘Impeach. Convict. Remove.’
On the southwest corner of 34th St and 8th Av, videos on social media showed anti-Trump protestors holding signs that read: ‘See you in hell’ and ‘Trump must go now’.
Over the weekend, Trump sparked a furious reaction from New Yorkers when he announced his plans to travel to Manhattan to watch the game.
The president was also asked for his reaction to the extortionate ticket prices, causing more anger by telling fans to ‘watch on TV’ if they could not afford to go.
Trump, who is not paying for his own ticket and was instead invited for free by Knicks owner Dolan, said: ‘Well, I know, but they can watch it on television.
‘It’s sort of semi-free to watch it on television. But that’s the way life goes… now if the game wasn’t as big – if the team wasn’t a big success – you could go very easily. So you can do that, too.’
The Marine One helicopter, carrying President Trump, arrives at the Wall Street Landing Zone
In preparation for the president’s arrival, New Yorkers made their feelings clear on the streets
Secret Service surrounded the perimeter of the arena in the hours leading up to Game 3
A steel fence was erected around the arena, with fans subjected to stringent security checks
He added: ‘But that’s the way life is, you know. They’ve had great success. And don’t forget, they’ve suffered also losses, and they’ve suffered during the bad time. Now they have a good time. They have a team that’s amazing.’
Trump’s decision to attend the game has wreaked organizational havoc, with the NYPD erecting a steel ring around the perimeter of MSG and hundreds of Secret Service on site to keep the president safe.
Increased security concerns led to the pre-planned watch party outside MSG to be canceled and moved to Bryant Park, which will hold 5,000 New Yorkers for the game.
The Knicks also sanctioned two further watch parties around the city for fans unable to be inside MSG, one at Wollman Rink in Central Park and another at Brooklyn Bowl.
Meanwhile, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani was also in attendance for Game 3, having claimed earlier in the day that he had paid under $1,000 for the privilege.
Despite thousands of diehard fans shelling out upwards of $10k for the chance to witness history, the mayor told reporters he had spent just a three-figure sum to be among the ‘standing room only’ fans inside MSG.
‘I bought my tickets for nearly $1,000 from Madison Square Garden,’ he said. ‘I’ll be going to tonight’s Game 3, and I’ll be standing for the duration of the game.’
Trump waved at the crowds, but New Yorkers did not appear enamored to see the president
Fans who had paid thousands of dollars for tickets were forced to line around the block
Knicks fans spent hours trying to get inside Madison Square Garden for the NBA Finals game
The NYPD and Secret Service surrounded MSG and Game 3 watch parties were canceled
He insisted that he purchased his ticket ‘directly from the organization itself’ and that he received no mayoral discount.
‘That’s something that I purchased directly from the Madison Square Garden, close to $1,000 was the price of it, and standing room only is just the section that I’ll be standing in,’ he added.
Despite his insistence, fans were left skeptical, questioning how Mamdani, a democratic socialist, got his hands on one of the most-coveted tickets in New York.
As of Monday afternoon, tickets in the standing room only section were listed on resale sites for as much as $4,900 – a far cry from Mamdani’s price of below $1,000.
The discrepancy between the skyrocketing prices available to the people of New York and the apparent mayoral discount left fans furious.
Many suggested that Mamdani had received a discounted ticket, while others pointed out that accessing tickets directly from MSG wasn’t a luxury available to everyone.
‘Tickets are always put on the side and comp’d by ownership & the league for celebrities, politicians, hall of famers and other dignitaries,’ one social media user alleged on social media.
