U.S. President Donald Trump attends Game 3 of the NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, U.S., June 8, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
President Donald Trump's efforts to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals in New York City on Monday night astounded one political analyst because of how they blew up in the president's face.
Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to attend an NBA Finals game, and was met with boos both inside and outside of the arena. Fans booed his motorcade as it arrived at Madison Square Garden, and he was booed again as the camera panned over to his suite during the National Anthem.
Brian Tyler Cohen, a progressive YouTuber, argued on a new episode of his podcast, "Another Day," that Trump's desire to attend the game despite all of the headaches it caused fans was a work of selfishness.
"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 noted that Trump is attending the game as his approval ratings decline ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, in which both the House of Representatives and the Senate could fall into Democratic hands.
At the same time, Trump caused significant inconvenience for average fans who attended the final game. For instance, the New York Knicks moved the game's watch party from outside the stadium to Bryant Park, and fans waited for upwards of two hours to enter the arena due to additional security measures.
Some fans told Trump to "stay home" instead of coming to 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."