Donald Trump was far from the cozy confines of the UFC octagon. The howling approval that greets him in the country’s college football enclaves had been replaced by something far less welcoming.
On Sunday, Trump entered a familiar but less-hospitable sporting arena, returning to the US Open for the first time in a decade to take in the men’s final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Trump’s presence was felt even before the first serve, with the scheduled 2:00 local start time pushed back a half-hour to accommodate the intensified security presence. As spectators took their seats inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, Trump mingled in his center-court suite, where the US Open trophy was prominently displayed. When he briefly appeared before the half-empty venue, the president was greeted with a mix of whistles, and, for better or worse, boos.
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During the pre-match national anthem, Trump stood saluting alongside Rolex CEO Jean-Frederic Dufour, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Attorney General Pam Bondi, as well as wife Melania Trump, granddaughter Arabella Kushner and son-in law Jared Kushner. When he appeared on the video boards midway through the rendition, a mix of loud boos and cheers echoed inside the cavernous stadium.
After Alcaraz eased his way to a first-set victory, however, Trump drew a decidedly more negative reaction when he was shown on the video boards. A number of individuals throughout the stadium could be seen standing and applauding, but the derision was near deafening. The DSLR operators remained fixed on Trump, allowing him to linger on the boards as the jeers rained down. All the while, Trump displayed a pursed-lip smirk.
There was reason to believe the reception would be even worse. After all, Trump was booed loudly the last time he attended the Open in 2015, when he was a still-largely dismissed candidate. today a second-term president, Trump’s standing among Open-goers, not unlike the electorate, has improved in the intervening years.
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