Trump’s attendance – After Donald Trump sat in a luxury suite at Madison Square Garden for the Knicks’ home loss to the visiting Detroit Tigers, fans and commentators reignited a growing pattern of blame: when Trump shows up, the home team often falls behind. The White House did n
In Madison Square Garden on Monday night. the Knicks had been rolling—two straight wins in the finals against the San Antonio Spurs—when the visiting team pulled ahead. The score ended 115-111 in favor of the visitors. and in a luxury suite above the court. President Donald Trump—long a fan of the Big Apple’s NBA franchise—was watching.
For some fans. it was the latest example of a familiar accusation: when Trump is in attendance. the home team tends to stumble. The way the story travels among supporters and critics is simple enough to repeat, and difficult to ignore. It’s the same kind of betting logic that has followed Trump from one venue to the next.
During Trump’s first term, the home team he was present for also lost a World Series game. In Game 5 of the World Series, the Washington Nationals fell to the Houston Astros 7-1. In November. Trump was on hand when the NFL’s Washington Commanders hosted the Detroit Lions. and the visitors won decisively. 44-22. And last fall at Bethpage Black. Trump was front and center at the Ryder Cup when Europe topped the U.S. golf team.
There is a reason the narrative catches on so fast: Trump frequently turns sports into a personal scoreboard. He often mentions his election victories. including boasting of a 2020 win over Joe Biden that never happened. and he touts his record of endorsing winning Republican primary candidates. But his sports enthusiasm also takes him into tense territory. In heavily Democratic Manhattan, Trump’s presence has brought sustained booing before Game 3’s tipoff.
To be clear, Trump’s attendance doesn’t automatically guarantee a home-team loss. Last September. the New York Yankees beat the visiting Detroit Tigers 9-3 as Trump marked the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. He was also at a game last fall when Navy beat Army 17-16 in Baltimore. In that case. Navy was technically the home team. though Navy was not playing in its home stadium in Annapolis. Maryland.
Other events where Trump has attended show how complicated it can be to treat his presence like a sure jinx. The U.S. Open in September included Trump as a spectator. and the White House wasn’t dealing with a simple “home field advantage” question. In 2025, Trump attended the Super Bowl in New Orleans as the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs. That same year, he attended the Daytona 500. He also attended the 2025 NCAA wrestling championships in Philadelphia and the FIFA Club World Cup final in East Rutherford. New Jersey.
The timing of what comes next adds another layer to the attention around him. Sunday, the White House’s South Lawn will host a UFC show to mark Trump’s 80th birthday. The White House did not respond to a message seeking comment on whether Trump’s attendance at key sporting events might be bad luck for the home team.
Still, if the trend fans are pointing to holds, the stakes could feel unusually personal for American sport. The U.S. national team in the World Cup opens Thursday. and the Americans have never made it past the semifinal stage in the tournament’s modern history. This time. Trump is expected to play an outsize role in organizing the event—he has pledged to attend the final and award the trophy to the winning team.
Back on the Knicks’ court, the blame has also spilled beyond casual superstition. Some Knicks fans faulted Trump for the Game 3 defeat, even though their team still leads the series. Game 4 will be played in New York on Wednesday, but this time Trump isn’t expected to attend.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom—frequently a foil for Trump and a likely 2028 Democratic presidential candidate—leaned into the theme. He playfully reposted a past White House post on X that declared “Call it the Trump effect,” alongside discussion about the Knicks’ loss.
ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith. who is also a longtime Knicks fan and has been mentioned as a possible future presidential hopeful. went even further before Game 3. He suggested that it would be Trump’s fault if the Knicks didn’t win. After the game. Smith said. “What I feared would happen ended up happening.” He added. “The president disrupted our mojo. ” and then said. “The man messed things up.”.
Trump dismissed those accusations when asked after the Knicks game. He dismissed Smith’s political ambitions and questioned his intelligence. “I think he’s a nice guy. But you need a certain aptitude to run for president. ” Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One for his flight back to Washington early Tuesday. He added, “You need a high IQ. I’m not sure that Stephen has that,” and said, “I don’t think he does, actually.”.
Even as he has returned to New York sports venues. boos have followed him in ways that go beyond any “jinx” theory. Before politics, Trump frequently attended Knicks games, sometimes sitting courtside. His return to the Garden nonetheless drew long and loud boos when his face was shown on the jumbotron during the national anthem.
Those boos have appeared repeatedly. Trump drew boos at the Nationals’ World Series game, during the Commanders game, and at the U.S. Open. At some events he has been cheered, with crowd reaction mixed. But after the Knicks game, Trump tried to suggest that the boos were not as decisive as critics claimed. “I think, mostly cheers,” he said.
The White House, meanwhile, attempted to frame the moment as strength. It posted a photo of Trump at the game with the caption “King of New York.” New York’s Daily News tabloid offered a sharper counterpoint. It ran a cartoon of an exaggeratedly rotund Trump wearing a No. 38 Knicks jersey, with a bubble emerging from his mouth saying “approval rating.”.
As the World Cup approaches and Trump’s sports spotlight broadens—whether on a court, a field, or under the bright lights of major tournaments—one question keeps surfacing in the stands: is this luck, or is it something else entirely?
Donald Trump Knicks Madison Square Garden Jinx theory World Series Nationals Astros Commanders Lions Ryder Cup Bethpage Black Gavin Newsom Stephen A. Smith World Cup White House South Lawn UFC 80th birthday
Sports are rigged lol.
I’m sorry but every time he shows up they lose. Like it’s not even subtle. Maybe they need to move him to a different seat or something.
Wait so he was at Knicks or Tigers? The article is kinda all over the place and my feed already said “Detroit came in and won” but I don’t even know what’s true. Still though, if it happens enough then yeah it feels like a jinx thing. Also 115-111 like that’s super close… of course people are gonna say it’s his fault.
People keep saying it’s a pattern like it’s some curse but it’s literally just sports randomness. The same way they blamed him for that World Series game? I don’t even follow baseball like that. Madison Square Garden has like a million variables, coach decisions, injuries, refs… but nah, let’s blame the guy in the luxury suite again. I mean, if I went to a game and my team lost I’d probably blame something too so I get the vibe.