A chorus of boos and sparse clapping greeted Donald Trump when the president arrived at the U.S. Open men’s final at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City on Sunday. Later, the boos continued and could be heard on the national telecast during the national anthem. The crowd booed again when the president was shown on an arena screen during a set break.
The U.S. Tennis Association on Saturday requested that broadcasters censor the crowd’s response to Trump and “refrain from showcasing any disruptions or reactions in response to the President’s attendance,” Bounces journalist Ben Rothenberg reported. But boos during the national anthem were audible on ESPN’s telecast of the event on ABC.
When Trump first arrived, the stadium was still mostly empty as attendees made their way through long security lines. Because of the security delays related to Trump’s appearance, the tournament pushed the final match’s start time back by thirty minutes.
Rothenberg reported that the Open moved the trophy to the Rolex suite, where Trump is watching the match. The trophy is “inside the Rolex suite, which is where Trump is, but surely not where the trophy has ever belonged before during a final,” Rothenberg wrote on Bluesky. (Trump is a fan of trophies and has a golden Fifa Club World Cup trophy in the gold-adorned Oval Office that the president said will remain there.)
This is the second time Trump was heckled at the Open. The last time he attended the tournament in 2015, when he was a candidate for president, the crowd loudly booed him then, too.
From Rolling Stone US
Love Music?
Get your daily dose of everything happening in Australian/New Zealand music and globally.
