The New York Knicks have a 2-0 lead over the San Antonio Spurs as the series heads to Madison Square Garden in New York City, allowing the Knicks a chance to close out the series on their home court. However, the everyday fan won’t be able to afford to see the games. But that isn’t stopping United States President Donald Trump from attending.
The cheapest tickets for the game have been listed at around $8,000 on secondary markets, with the majority of the tickets listed for more than $15,000 apiece. Still, Trump will be in attendance, and his message to everyday New Yorkers is to simply watch the game on television.
‘That’s the Way Life Goes’
Ahead of Monday night’s game, Trump was asked about attending a game while the average New Yorker was completely priced out, but Trump didn’t have much of a response.
“You can watch it on television,” Trump said during a recent press interview on Air Force One. “It’s sort of semi-free to watch it on television.”
It’s not clear what Trump means by “semi-free,” but he could be referring to the fact that the game will be broadcast on ABC, which is generally available on broadcast television for anyone with a television antenna.
Still, Trump didn’t have much to say about the fact that he would be attending the game that currently has an $8,000 get-in price.
“That’s the way life goes,” Trump said. “Now, if the team wasn’t a big success, you could go very easily. That’s just the way life is.”
‘President calling us broke is crazy’
Needless to say, these comments from Trump did not sit well with fans on social media, who were quick to express their outrage at the president’s apparent dismissal of any concern about the ticket prices.
“Note. While lifelong Knicks fans cannot afford to attend these games, The President attending will cost taxpayers around $10 million (Super Bowl was between $15-20million, so assuming this will be a little less). Which is why he’s the 1st president to attend all of these games,” someone wrote in a post on X.
“President calling us broke is crazy,” another person joked.
“Trump gets front row seats to the New York Knicks game for free, but he tells you to watch it on TV because that’s how life goes. Man of the people? Yeah, right,” someone else added.
“Reminder that Mamdani purposely sits in the nosebleeds,” another user wrote, comparing Trump to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
“Watch it on TV peasants,” someone else joked.
“He hates us all, including his supporters,” another user wrote.
Adding to the frustration, the watch party outside of Madison Square Garden that was accessible to the average fan has been canceled, and those who are lucky enough to have a ticket for Monday night’s game have been warned to arrive at least two hours before the opening tip to deal with the added security.