New York City crowds aren't exactly known for holding back. So, when Donald Trump rolled into the 2025 US Open men’s final, everyone knew things were going to get loud.
Honestly, the energy was weird from the jump. You had Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner—the two biggest stars in tennis—ready to bash balls at each other, but half the conversation in the stands was about the guy sitting in the Rolex suite.
The Jumbotron Moment and the Wall of Sound
It happened during the national anthem. Just as the last notes were hanging in the air, Trump’s face flashed on the massive screens at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The sound was... a lot.
It wasn't just one thing. It was this jarring collision of thunderous boos and sharp, piercing cheers. Depending on which side of the stadium you were sitting in, you might have thought he was being hailed as a hero or chased out of town.
New York is his home turf, but it’s also a deep-blue stronghold. That tension was vibrating through the concrete.
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What’s wild is that the United States Tennis Association (USTA) actually tried to get ahead of this. Reports surfaced that they’d emailed broadcasters like ESPN and ABC, basically asking them to "refrain from showcasing any disruptions" or crowd reactions to the president. They wanted to keep the focus on the tennis.
It didn't work. You can't mute 23,000 people in a closed-roof stadium.
Who Was in the "Maga Entourage"?
Trump didn't show up alone. He brought a significant chunk of his administration with him to Queens.
Sitting in that luxury box, you could spot White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Attorney General Pam Bondi. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was there too, along with press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
It felt less like a casual Sunday at the tennis and more like a high-level briefing with better snacks. Even his granddaughter Arabella and son-in-law Jared Kushner were in the mix.
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Meanwhile, the "regular" celebrity row was stacked. Bruce Springsteen, Pink, and Ben Stiller were all nearby. It was a bizarre contrast—political power players on one side and Hollywood A-listers on the other, many of whom have been pretty vocal about their distaste for the current administration.
Security Headaches and Timelines
If you were trying to get into the grounds that day, you probably hated the "Trump US Open reaction" before he even arrived.
Security was intense. We're talking secret service checkpoints that backed up for blocks.
- The Delay: The match was actually pushed back by about 30 minutes because fans were stuck in security lines.
- The Arrival: Trump pulled up around 1:45 p.m., well before the first serve.
- The Capacity: When he first stepped out to wave, the stadium was only about 10% full because people were still being patted down outside.
By the time the stadium hit capacity, the boos definitely outweighed the cheers. But the White House rapid response team was quick to post clips on X (formerly Twitter) showing the cheering sections, calling reports of the booing "fake news."
Why Was He There?
The irony of the visit wasn't lost on the Swiss. Trump was there as a guest of Rolex.
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Just weeks prior, his administration had slapped a 39% tariff on Swiss products. Imagine being the CEO of a Swiss watchmaker, Jean-Frederic Dufour, and having to play host to the guy who just made your watches way more expensive for Americans.
That’s the kind of "only in 2025" scenario we're living through.
Alcaraz, for his part, handled the questions about the presidential attendance with total class. He called it a "privilege" for the sport to have a world leader there. He did admit, though, that he was trying not to look up at the suite because he didn't want to get nervous.
The Takeaway for Fans
If you're planning on attending a major sporting event where a sitting president might show up, here’s the reality of what to expect:
- Double your travel time. If the ticket says 2:00 p.m., get there at noon. The security sweep for a presidential visit is no joke.
- Don't rely on the TV broadcast. The USTA's attempt to sanitize the audio shows that what you hear at home isn't always the full story of the room.
- Check the suite list. Often, these appearances are tied to corporate sponsors (like Rolex). If you follow the money, you can usually guess where the "surprise" visits will happen.
The match itself ended with Alcaraz taking down Sinner in four sets, but the lasting image for many wasn't the trophy ceremony. It was the split-screen reality of a polarized New York crowd reacting to a man who, for better or worse, always finds a way to be the center of the court.
To stay ahead of how these political appearances affect your favorite sports, keep a close eye on the official tournament apps for security "advisories" which are often the first clue that a VIP is inbound.