New York was having a little too much fun celebrating the Knicks’ first NBA Finals appearance since 1999 — so Donald Trump had to crash the party.
The president threw Midtown Manhattan and Madison Square Garden into logistical chaos on Monday after announcing last week that he would be attending Game 3 of the Finals in person. During the singing of the National Anthem, Trump was loudly booed out by the fans in attendance.
Trump claimed after the game, however, that they were actually cheering him. “I thought great,” when asked what he thought about his reception. “I thought amazing, actually. I thought it was very good. It was certainly amazing. I think it was mostly cheers. It was loud and it was very enthusiastic.”
Following the announcement of Trump’s attendance, fans were told they would need to show up at least two hours early to undergo TSA-style security screenings. No bags of any kind will be allowed in the building. Cars in the area are being towed en masse. Watch parties were relocated. The Secret Service set up a multi-block no-access perimeter around MSG and Penn Station, smack in the middle of one of the busiest corporate and commuting centers in the nation.
Video which appeared to be taken about two hours before gametime seemed to show ticket holders backed up for blocks on end.
Accredited press that is typically allowed to access the locker rooms and backend facilities at the Garden to interview players and coaches have reportedly been barred from conducting interviews ahead of tip-off.
New Yorkers, fans, and sports commentators throughout the city and league have made their displeasure known.
“If it causes the Knicks to lose tonight, I’m blaming him. I’m blaming the president of the U.S.,” sportscaster Stephen A. Smith said on Monday. “Damnit, I hope the GOP loses votes because of it if we lose tonight.”
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), a native New Yorker, accused the president of bandwagoning and inconveniencing everyone in the process. “It’s not clear to me that Donald Trump is a big Knicks fan,” he said during a Monday press conference. “I mean, does this guy even know the difference between Karl Rove and Karl Anthony Towns? I don’t think so. He’s just injecting himself.”
Even Spurs point guard De’Aaron Fox expressed skepticism at Trump’s last-minute decision to attend the game. “The president being here just makes it inconvenient for everybody else,” he said. “We’re getting screened like it’s TSA. It’s a little inconvenient for the people that’s got to play, but it is what it is.”
Trump must have really felt he needed to travel to New York for Game 3. He rationalized skipping his son’s wedding last month because of the Iran war — which, of course, is still very much ongoing.
