Trump booed and jeered at NBA Finals in New York

The mood in the arena shifted when Trump saluted during the national anthem and his image was shown on the large video screens. According to US media reports, a clear chorus of whistles and boos then erupted from the crowd. Trump was accompanied by his granddaughter Kai, his adviser Boris Epshteyn, and several cabinet members, including Lee Zeldin, Sean Duffy, and Doug Burgum. They all watched the game from Dolan's suite.

Crowd responds with whistles and boos

Already in the afternoon, before Trump's arrival, the New York Police Department, together with the US Secret Service, had set up a large security perimeter around Madison Square Garden. Trump's helicopter Marine One had taken off from his residence in New Jersey and landed near Wall Street before his convoy drove through Manhattan to the arena – roughly an hour before tip-off. According to the report, fans had lined up more than four hours before the opening tip to get into the building, with the scenes resembling New Year's Eve at Times Square more than the usual build-up to a basketball game.

Political protests also took place on the margins of the event. Outside the cordoned-off area, a group held up signs reading "Trump must go." In Trump's own vicinity, several people also made vulgar gestures, according to the report. Trump appeared unimpressed and made his way to James Dolan's suite shortly afterward.

Security measures around the game

NBA commissioner Adam Silver had praised Trump as a genuine Knicks fan before the game. Silver said: "Er ist ein echter Knicks-Fan". The North American professional league NBA also pointed out that Trump is the first sitting US president to attend an NBA Finals game. The Knicks game in their home city thus became a politically charged event beyond the sporting occasion.

First sitting president at an NBA Finals game

Away from the sports side, the US government is dealing with a legal setback in immigration policy. A court in the state of Massachusetts had struck down the $100,000 fee – roughly €87,000 – introduced by the Trump administration in fall 2025 for applying for a so-called H-1B visa. The H-1B visa allows US companies to bring highly skilled workers such as programmers into the country for several years.

Court strikes down H-1B fee in Massachusetts

Before the fee increase, only a few thousand dollars had been required for an application. The Trump administration had justified the drastic increase in part by arguing that visa applications had been abused in the past to replace American workers with cheaper foreign employees. Several US states sued over the fee, pointing to looming staff shortages, for instance in healthcare.

The court in Massachusetts ruled that the executive branch had, through the order, intervened in an area reserved for Congress. The ruling is not yet final and can still be appealed. According to US media reports, the government plans to file an appeal.

The developments underscore how much the sporting stage in the United States continues to serve as a political stage as well. While Trump was clearly booed by part of the crowd at Madison Square Garden, the league highlighted the historic dimension of his visit by pointing to his status as the first sitting head of state to attend an NBA Finals game. The Knicks, for their part, with their 2-0 lead in the finals series, have a good chance of delivering the long-awaited title at home to their prominent longtime fan.

It remained initially unclear to what extent the tumultuous atmosphere around the game affected the Knicks team. The players themselves did not comment on the incidents in the stands immediately after the game. What is clear is that the matchup in New York attracted attention far beyond its sporting significance – both because of the prominent guests in the presidential suite and because of the political protests outside the arena gates.

Impact on politics and sport

The authorities in New York said they had handled the major operation around Madison Square Garden routinely. There were initially no indications of security disruptions of any significant scale. Trump's arrival by helicopter and subsequent convoy also proceeded without notable incidents. Police secured both the landing site near Wall Street and the route through Manhattan, as well as the entire area around the arena.

Overall, the evening shows how closely sport, politics, and society are currently intertwined in the United States. A visit by a US president to a championship game of the country's premier basketball league is a rare event, but in the politically charged atmosphere of the 2026 election and trial year, the matchup took on added significance. Trump positioned himself demonstratively at the side of his favorite club, while parts of the crowd loudly disapproved.

In federal politics, the fallout from the Massachusetts court ruling is also likely to be debated further in the coming weeks. If the government fails with its announced appeal, the original, significantly lower application fee for H-1B visas would have to apply again. For the affected industries – particularly the technology and healthcare sectors – this would be a considerable relief, as they continue to rely on skilled workers from abroad.

What is certain is that Trump's appearance at the NBA Finals could go down in the history books not only as a sporting event, but also as a political signal. The reactions inside Madison Square Garden, from boos to protest signs, illustrate the social polarization that now regularly accompanies the public appearance of a US president. The league itself refrained from political assessments and pointed to the purely sporting character of the evening.