'I think it was mostly cheers': Donald Trump reacts to hostile reception at Madison Square Garden

Donald Trump's decision to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden was not well-received, and the President was subjected to a hostile reception at the venue. However, Trump claimed that the New York crowd was happy to see him in support of the Knicks. Speaking to reporters after the game, the President said that he thought the reception was "amazing," and that he was cheered on for the most part.

"You mean when they had the camera on me?" he said when a reporter asked him about his appearance at the game. "I thought it was very good. It was certainly amazing. It was, I think, mostly cheers. It was loud, and it was very enthusiastic." Despite the President's claim, videos from inside the Garden appear to show that those in attendance were not pleased to see him on the screen. Fans even drowned out the national anthem, which was being played at the time.

Subsequent videos emerged of the President being booed outside the venue as well. His decision to attend the game led to the cancellation of a watch party outside the Garden. The traffic situation was also worsened as large parts of the city were cordoned off for safety purposes. Trump was asked by reporters whether he would attend Game 5 of the Finals, but he said that he had more important things to work on, like the conflict in Iran.

The President was also accused of falling asleep during the match. Rep. Ted Lieu used the opportunity to remind everyone that this was not the first time it had seemed like that Trump had fallen asleep. "The president of the United States is not well," he said during a press conference. "We can see it with our own eyes. He has tremendous difficulty staying awake on the job. Donald Trump has repeatedly fallen asleep at multiple Cabinet meetings, at multiple White House events, at a Memorial Day ceremony, and most recently at a very loud and raucous NBA game last night."

Several others expressed their displeasure about President Trump's presence at the Garden, one of whom was popular sportscaster Stephen A. Smith. He had said before the game that if the Knicks lost, he would blame Trump for it, and that is exactly what he did on Tuesday.

After the game, Smith criticized the cancellation of the watch party outside the Garden and the hectic traffic situation. He claimed that Trump was "pretending" to be a Knicks fan and came to watch the game for "selfish, narcissistic motives." "The New York Knicks lost, and obviously, I’m blaming him. Why am I blaming him, ladies and gentlemen? It’s very simple because the president disrupted our mojo. I’ve said this on many occasions over the last 24 hours, and I’m saying it again. The man messed things up," Smith said.