Donald Trump’s appearance on the big screen at the U.S Open was met with thunderous boos as he attended the men’s singles final for the first time in a decade flanked by Cabinet members and family.
The president arrived at Arthur Ashe Stadium in his native Queens, New York at 1.45 p.m. Sunday causing a delay to the start of play. Long lines snaked throughout the stadium as tennis fans faced extra security measures ahead of the match between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Trump attended with son-in-law Jared Kushner and granddaughter Arabella, as well as White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, press secretary Karoline Leavitt, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.
During the national anthem, Trump’s face appeared on the jumbotron for around 30 seconds and loud booing could be heard around the stadium. Cheers went up when the Star-Spangled Banner concluded, and a large flag was unfurled on court.
After Alcaraz took the first set, Trump’s face appeared again on the screen, this time to a mix of boos, cheers and clapping.
Organizers of the U.S. Open had earlier asked broadcasters to refrain from showing any reactions or disruptions to the president’s attendance.
The U.S. Tennis Association had asked for broadcast coverage to “to refrain from showcasing any disruptions or reactions in response to the President’s attendance in any capacity.”
Trump, whose approval rating stood at 40 percent according to polling last month, is unpopular in his native New York, a Democratic stronghold.
Protesters brandishing flyers and signs reading “Trump must go now!” were pictured outside the stadium.
When he first arrived, Trump did a walkout to wave to the crowd in the stadium, which was around 10 percent full. As he stepped out from the Rolex box in mid-court, there was a wave of mixed cheers and boos.
The president was also seen chatting with Rolex CEO Jean-Frederic Dufour, having been invited to the event as a corporate guest of the Swiss watchmaker. The invitation came despite the Trump administration imposing a whopping 39 percent tariff on Swiss products just weeks before.
Trump is a longtime attendee of the U.S. Open and attended the tournament regularly back when he was a real estate mogul in New York, and later a reality TV star. His last appearance at the tournament was in 2015 with wife, Melania Trump, a few months after launching his presidential campaign, during which he was booed.
In recent months, Trump has attended major sporting events such as the Super Bowl in New Orleans, the Club World Cup in New Jersey, where he remained on stage for Chelsea’s trophy lift, and the Daytona 500 in Florida.
Though the crowd may have expressed displeasure at Trump’s presence, finalist Alcaraz said that having him watching was a “privilege,” and it was “great for tennis to have the president at the final.”
This article is being updated