Donald Trump has been slammed for his actions while attending Madison Square Garden for Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
Trump watched the San Antonio Spurs cut the New York Knicks' series lead down to 2-1 thanks to a Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle masterclass, becoming the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals series game.
In order for the US president to be in attendance, security measures for the fixture were ramped up, with many fans forced to queue for longer than normal, which led to Trump receiving cat calls when he appeared on the big screen.
Donald Trump was not the only well-known face in attendance, as celebrities such as Timothee Chalamet, Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan, Ben Stiller, Larry David, and Eli Manning were all also in attendance.
Donald Trump Receives Backlash For NBA Finals Actions
Donald Trump at the NBA FinalsNathan Howard via Reuters Imagn Images
Donald Trump received backlash after the game after he was filmed in his box momentarily falling asleep in his suite while watching the game alongside Knicks owner James Dolan and his granddaughter Kai Trump.
Trump's nap was heavily criticised on X, with one critic saying: "Bringing half your cabinet courtside just to take a historic nap is wild. He didn't come to watch the Knicks; he just paid thousands for a premium snooze."
Another one noted: "'Fallen asleep at the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden' is not a sentence you expect to read about a sitting president. But here we are."
Trump did have his defenders, though, as one stated: "Presidents are not obligated to cheer like college kids at every game. A quiet moment in a suite is not a scandal or medical emergency, it is human."
San Antonio Spurs Cut New York Knicks' Lead in Half
Trump's nap came during a great game of basketball as the San Antonio Spurs scored 35 points in the third quarter to kill talk of a Knicks' "sweep" in the finals. Defeat for the Knicks ended a 13-game winning streak which was two away from the Golden State Warriors' 2017 record.
Stephon Castle scored a three-pointer with just under two minutes to go to extend the Spurs' lead to 111-104. The Knicks picked up a flurry of chances with OG Anunoby hitting a late three-pointer to put them within two points, but it was not meant to be for the hosts as Castle would score two free throws in the final 10 seconds.
The best-of-seven series continues on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden before going back to San Antonio on Saturday night.