President Donald Trump arrived at the US Open tennis final on Sunday afternoon, creating significant security disruptions and drawing mixed reactions from the New York City crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The 79-year-old President touched down in the Big Apple and made his way to Queens for the highly anticipated showdown between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz at Flushing Meadows.
The match start time was delayed from 2:00 PM to 2:30 PM due to increased security measures related to Trump’s attendance.
Reports indicate that the United States Tennis Association sent an email to broadcasters, including ESPN and Sky Sports, on the eve of the match instructing them to censor any protests or reactions to the President’s attendance.
Trump emerged from his private suite at Arthur Ashe Stadium approximately 40 minutes before the final began, where he attended as a guest of Swiss luxury watch brand and major sponsor Rolex.
The president received a mixture of cheers and boos from the New York crowd when he appeared at the venue, per multiple media outlets and social media users.
Trump attended the match with a large entourage that included Attorney General Pam Bondi, press secretary Karoline Leavitt, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino and special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff.
His family members also joined him, including granddaughter Arabella Kushner and son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Additional members of his administration present included Lindsey Halligan, a lawyer working as special assistant to the president, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, United States Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and Margo Martin, Trump’s special assistant and communications advisor.
Chaos erupted outside the arena as thousands of fans lined up to enter amid intense security procedures just minutes before the rearranged start time.
One source told Page Six, ““It is an absolute sh*t show.”
The security delays resulted in Sinner and Alcaraz beginning Sunday’s final in front of several empty seats at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Daily Mail reporter Matthew Lambwell described the scene: “This is total chaos here. Lines are absolutely insane. They will either have to delay again or start with hardly anyone in.”
A US Open insider told the Daily Mail that “nerve agents and chemical weapons” were among potential threats considered at Flushing Meadows, stating: “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 security preparations were described as precautionary and not related to any specific threat made against the President.
When the American national anthem played before the match, Trump’s appearance on the big screens triggered contrasting responses from the crowd, with some showing disdain while others applauded.
Trump was seen smirking while continuing to salute during the Star-Spangled Banner when jeers were initially heard from portions of the crowd.
The president was again showered with both boos and cheers when shown on screens at the end of the first set, which Alcaraz won 6-2.
Since his re-election, Trump has made sports attendance a significant part of his second term, with the US Open final marking the first of two events he plans to attend in New York over the coming days.
Following the tennis final, Trump is expected to attend a New York Yankees game at Yankee Stadium on September 11, the anniversary of the 9/11 terror attack on the city, when the playoff-chasing Yankees host the Detroit Tigers.
Trump previously attended the US Open in 2015 with wife Melania, where he was met with a chorus of boos from the majority-Democrat New York crowd while watching Serena Williams defeat Venus Williams in the women’s singles quarterfinals.
After defeating Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, Alcaraz was asked about the prospect of Trump watching his battle with Sinner, with the Spanish player stating he would try to put it out of his mind.
“It is a privilege for the tournaments having the president from every country just to support the tournament, to support tennis, and to support the match,” Alcaraz told reporters about the US president’s attendance plans.
“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. But I think attending the tennis match, it’s great for tennis to have the president [at] the final.”
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