Donald Trump booed after turning up to Knicks-Spurs basketball game

United States President Donald Trump was loyally booed after turning up to a basketball game in New York City on Monday (8 June).

The 79-year-old Republican, who is set to turn 80 this Sunday (14 June), rocked up to Madison Square Garden before the start of Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs.

The Knicks ended up losing their first game of the Finals, 115-111.

Many famous faces attended the basketball game, including Spike Lee, Ben Stiller and Timothée Chalamet, as well as a couple of political figures, including NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani and President Trump.

US President Donald Trump was booed during the Knicks game last night (Al Bello / Staff / Getty Images)

Quite a few fans, however, didn't seem too pleased to see Trump, who is the first sitting US president to attend an NBA Final, up on the Jumbotron as they erupted into a chorus of boos and jeers.

The boos quickly turned into cheers when the Jumbotron panned to Knicks star Jalen Brunson, who was shown standing on the court.

After catching light of footage from last night's game, people rushed to social media to share their thoughts.

One X user penned: "Trump on the Jumbotron saluting during the anthem and MSG still booing him. NYC never changes."

Another echoed: "First sitting president to get loudly booed at an NBA Finals game."

And a third X user questioned: "Genuinely, what made him think it would be a good idea for him to go?"

Some MAGA heads, however, were hellbent that the boos were actually cheers.

Trump critics and fans alike debated whether he was booed or cheered during the game (Samuel Corum / Stringer / Getty Images)

"That doesn't sound like boos to me. Sounds like USA USA USA," claimed a fourth as a fifth maintained: "Actually, what really happened, was chants of 'USA, USA' the moment President Trump appeared on the Jumbotron."

And a final X user added: "It was a mix of cheers and boos."

Trump isn't too popular in the very Democratic New York City.

Back in the 2024 presidential election, he received less than 839,000 votes in the city, compared to over 1.9 million votes for the Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, the then-vice president.

The Economist reports that Trump’s net approval this week 'hit a new low' of -25, according to the outlet's tracker of polling conducted by YouGov.

The latest report makes him the most unpopular president since The Economist's survey started back in 2009.

Additionally, a recent Siena University poll of New York State registered voters published last month showed the Republican leader at 33 percent favorable to 64 percent unfavorable, down from 35–62 per cent in March.