Maddow savors – Rachel Maddow relished Donald Trump’s cold reception at Madison Square Garden during Game 3 of the NBA Finals, airing footage of boos and quipping that a single-finger gesture doesn’t carry the same meaning as another kind of wave.
Rachel Maddow worked herself into a rare moment of satisfaction on Monday—one of those television beats where schadenfreude does the heavy lifting.
On her show, Maddow dissected the reception Donald Trump drew while attending Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden.
She framed the scene around what she described as the president of the United States showing up “pretend[ing] to be a basketball fan,” and then pivoted to the clip she played: Trump being berated while boos filled the arena.
Game 3 ended with the San Antonio Spurs beating the New York Knicks, 115-111.
Maddow leaned into what she said the day demanded from New Yorkers and the city itself. She asked whether viewers wanted to “see the warm. warm welcome the president of the United States got tonight. ” after what she described as organizers making people go through extra steps to accommodate Trump’s presence.
She pointed to New Yorkers being made to come to the game hours early, “forcing everyone to go through tons of extra screening,” and she said New York City canceled public-free viewing parties planned outside Madison Square Garden.
In her telling, the cancellation and the security burden were tied directly to Trump’s decision to be there in person—despite, as she put it, that he has “only ever talked trash about the NBA” and “doesn’t appear to have been an actual fan at all, at least for decades.”
After rolling the footage of Trump being booed outside, Maddow delivered the line that landed like a punchline: “When they’re waving at you with just one finger, it doesn’t mean the same as another kind of wave.”
Rachel Maddow Donald Trump NBA Finals Madison Square Garden New York Knicks San Antonio Spurs Game 3 boos security screening viewing parties
Lol the one-finger thing is literally always rude.
So they booed him and he deserved it because he’s not even a real fan? Idk I didn’t watch but the “extra screening” part is wild like why cancel stuff for one person.
Not sure about the whole wave meaning thing… wasn’t that like when he waved at someone? Also Game 3 ended 115-111 right? I just feel like people always blame the president for everything in NYC. Like security is security.
Maddow is really milking the boos, like c’mon. But also, if they canceled the public viewing parties and made regular fans go through extra screening just because he showed up, that’s messed up. Yet I keep hearing “one-finger jab” and thinking it was about a basketball move or something, not waving. Either way Trump acting like he’s entitled to attention everywhere is basically the issue.