President Donald Trump’s appearance at Game 3 of the NBA Finals in New York City on Monday night drew boos from fans both inside and outside Madison Square Garden, leaving some observers questioning the timing and purpose of the visit.
Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to attend an NBA Finals game, but his presence was met with widespread disapproval. Fans booed his motorcade as it arrived and again when the camera panned to his suite during the National Anthem.
Brian Tyler Cohen, a progressive YouTuber, weighed in on his podcast, Another Day, calling the president’s decision “selfish.”
“As a result of never seeing a moment he couldn’t make about himself, the president of the United States has chosen to launch his own Manhattan project by attending tonight’s Knicks game at Madison Square Garden,” Cohen said. “Now, to be fair, I understand why he’d want to do this.
When you see a sporting event that allows you to apply only one extra color of paint to your face, you want to jump on it immediately. But that feels like a pretty small win compared to the pretty big losses that New Yorkers are experiencing.”
Cohen argued that the timing was politically motivated, noting that Trump’s approval ratings have been declining ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, in which both the House and Senate could shift to Democratic control.
Trump’s visit also caused logistical challenges for fans attending the game. Security measures led the New York Knicks to move the watch party from outside the stadium to Bryant Park, and some attendees reported waiting more than two hours to enter the arena. Several fans expressed frustration directly, telling Trump to “stay home” rather than attend the game.
“It’s almost as though Donald Trump prioritizes the wrong things during his presidency,” Cohen said. “This president may like attending sporting events, but let’s stop pretending that he gives two s—- about New Yorkers. This is a guy who has plenty of cash to raise his family in an apartment in the city, one that included a whole floor for his son to casually graze the rugs on his pet lion. And yet, he chose to depart for less liberal pastures.”
The episode has reignited debate over the role of sitting presidents at public events and the impact of their presence on communities, particularly when it coincides with significant inconvenience for local residents. For Trump, Monday night marked a historic first, but one that highlighted the tension between personal ambition, political optics, and public reaction in a deeply polarized city.