NEW YORK, June 8 : Irate ticketholders booed U.S. President Donald Trump as they waited in lines more than two blocks long outside Madison Square Garden on Monday, where a strict, airport-style gauntlet of security was in place as the Republican became the first sitting U.S. president to attend the NBA Finals.More than half the seats in the arena were empty with only an hour to go before tipoff in Game 3 of the Finals, with the New York Knicks commanding a 2-0 head start in the best-of-seven series against the San Antonio Spurs.A formidable security presence slowed entry to the arena, as commuters and tourists navigated a maze of black metal fencing that restricted pedestrian traffic around the venue.Boos erupted from the crowd as Trump's motorcade arrived.
"I wish he wasn't here. He's not a real fan, and he's just making things awful," said Errol Ismail, a Brooklyn resident and owner of a fitness company, who tried multiple entrances to get into the venue. "We've waited a lifetime for this, and he's made it about himself, like everything else."Trump, who had been at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club on Monday afternoon, arrived in downtown Manhattan via his Marine One helicopter then traveled by motorcade to the self-styled "World's Most Famous Arena."He was expected to attend as a guest of Knicks owner James Dolan, with New York playing their first Finals home game in 27 years and fans shelling out thousands of dollars for the hottest ticket in the five boroughs.The Queens-born Trump has a complicated relationship with the heavily Democratic-voting city he once called home and was a vocal critic of activism within the NBA. He faced cheers and boos when he attended the U.S. Open tennis men's final in Flushing, Queens, last year. Many ticketholders missed the start of the match when security checks related to his attendance caused confusion and slowed entry.New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was expected to attend Monday's game as well, after telling reporters he purchased a ticket directly from Madison Square Garden for nearly $1,000.Mamdani and Trump have been critical of each other's policy positions, but their meetings have been unexpectedly friendly.Trump's planned attendance ratcheted up security plans over the weekend, and the New York Police Department said on Monday that pedestrians without an "authorized reason" would not be allowed inside a secure area around the arena between West 35th and 30th Streets and Sixth and Eighth Avenues beginning 4-1/2 hours before the 8:30 p.m. ET (0030 GMT) tipoff.Those entering the secure area were screened and restricted to a handful of access points.A watch party for fans that is traditionally held outside the arena for playoff games will not take place on Monday due to security concerns, the NYPD said.Several attendees told Reuters they welcomed the president as a fellow Knicks fan, but they declined to provide their names.Other fans said they were taking a night off from politics.“I was at the Garden in 1999 to watch the Knicks lose to the Spurs in Game 5. I'm not gonna let the president get in the way of my ecstasy tonight,” said Ben Wizner, deputy legal director at the ACLU, an organization that has filed dozens of lawsuits against the Trump administration’s actions.
