Donald Trump was met with a mix of cheers and boos from the crowd at Flushing Meadows when he arrived to watch the US Open final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. However, many say he was mostly cheered by the fans seated in the nearby luxury boxes as they went berserk after seeing him take a seat to watch the match.
On the night before the match, which was pushed back from 2 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. because of heightened security after the United States Tennis Association emailed broadcasters like ESPN and Sky Sports, strictly ordering them to cut out any protests or crowd reactions to the President's appearance.
Flushing Meadows Goes Wild
Around 40 minutes before Sunday's final, Trump stepped out of his private suite at Arthur Ashe Stadium — where he was attending as a guest of Rolex, the tournament's major sponsor — and was met with a mix of cheers and boos from the crowd.
The 79-year-old arrived with a sizable entourage, including attorney general Pam Bondi, press secretary Karoline Leavitt, White House deputy chief Dan Scavino, granddaughter Arabella Kushner, and son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Outside the arena, confusion reigned as thousands of fans were still lined up at the gates just minutes before the delayed start. As a result, Sinner and Alcaraz began the final in front of rows of empty seats, unless another hold-up was called.
A US Open insider told the Daily Mail before Trump's arrival that security officials had even considered the possibility of chemical or nerve agent attacks at Flushing Meadows.
"We've been scoping out the area with our colleagues in the CIA and taking precautions in the event of an attack using chemical weapons or nerve agents," the source said.
Still, the security preparations were described as routine safety measures and were not linked to any specific threat against the president.
Since his re-election, Trump has leaned heavily into sports during his second term, with Sunday's US Open final between Sinner and Alcaraz marking the second big event he's set to attend in New York City in just a few days.
Trump's Big Plans
The president is likely to attend the New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers game at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 11, coinciding with the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. He also announced plans to return to New York later in the month for the opening day of the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black on Long Island on Sept. 26.
Trump is also gearing up to host a UFC cage fight on the White House South Lawn next year as part of the celebrations for America's 250th anniversary.
Some of his appearances at big sporting events have sparked debate — with supporters upset that networks didn't show him enough, and critics claiming that broadcasters edited out boos directed at him.
Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz welcomed Trump's attendance at the US Open final.
"It is a privilege for the tournaments having the president from every country," he told reporters, "to support the tournament, to support tennis, and to support the match."
"For me, playing in front of him... to be honest, I will try not to think about it. I don't want... to be nervous because of it," he added. "It's great for tennis to have the president into the final."
