Donald Trump’s U.S. Open final appearance draws mixed reaction, prompts delay

FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y. — President Donald Trump made his first appearance at the U.S. Open in a decade on Sunday, adding to a run of interactions with major sporting events during his second term.

Less than an hour before the match between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz was scheduled to begin, Trump walked out of a suite to a mixed reaction from fans. He clapped and gestured with his trademark fist to the crowd. Some fans clapped and took pictures while others booed the president before he re-entered the suite.

Trump reappeared at the seats at the front of the suite before the presentation of the U.S. national anthem. He clapped as fans continued their mixed reactions. He pointed to a spectator who was wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat.

During “The Star Spangled Banner,” Trump was shown on the video board saluting, prompting more combined boos and cheers that drowned out the anthem until the video board returned to the court.

Trump, seated just above the rail of his suite with a row of yellow flowers and the championship trophy to his left, was joined by several key members of his administration, with name tags on chairs for his adviser Jared Kushner, attorney general Pam Bondi, press secretary Karoline Leavitt, special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, Treasury secretary Scott Bessent and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.

Trump, along with the rest of the suite, stood and clapped when Alcaraz and Sinner walked onto court and stayed standing as they warmed up. The president remained in his seat for the entire first set.

When Alcaraz won the first set, the video board inside Ashe showed Trump. The boos and some cheers rose as Trump mouthed the words, “Thank you.” He raised his left fist and a fan in front of him, standing on the concourse, pointed toward the president. The cacophonous roars lasted almost 30 seconds before the video board panned to other celebrities, including the singer Shaggy and the actors Kevin Hart, Dakota Fanning and Michael J. Fox.

After the second set, some fans crowded the edges of Trump’s suite along the inner concourse, snapping photos and a few even conversing with him directly as he grinned. “Please take your seats,” chair umpire James Keothavong told the fans as Sinner and Alcaraz readied to play again. With Alcaraz leading 3-0 in the third, Trump went inside the suite during the changeover, about an hour and a half into the match.

Trump’s appearance shifted several elements of an event that is already a magnet for celebrities, world leaders and tennis fans.

Uniformed members of secret service wearing tactical vests walked inside and outside the Billie Jean King Tennis Center complex several hours before the match. An additional screening layer for Arthur Ashe Stadium, the show court that seats around 24,000, made for jammed lines and a security experience similar to heading to the gates at an airport.

The slowdown led organizers to push the Alcaraz-Sinner final 30 minutes from its original start time of 2 p.m. ET, forcing the athletes to adjust their preparations. And nearly an hour into their duel, fans were still streaming into the stadium after being stuck outside, welcomed beyond the security gates with a blue commemorative U.S. Open hat.

The jeers and cheers for Trump after the first set were not shown on ABC, which broadcasted the final and was on a commercial break when the president was shown on the scoreboard.

The United States Tennis Association, which organizes the U.S. Open, asked broadcasters to temper any reaction to Trump, saying in a memo reviewed by The Athletic that he would be shown on feeds during the festivities before the match, which included the U.S. national anthem.

“We ask all broadcasters to refrain from showcasing any disruptions or reactions in response to the President’s attendance in any capacity,” the USTA said in the memo.

ESPN, which produced the broadcast and like ABC is owned by Disney, declined official comment. A person briefed on ESPN’s plans, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not charged with running the production, said it planned to show Trump and acknowledge his presence as it usually would during sporting events, and to cover play on the court as normal.

When the telecast returned from the first set, the commentators did not acknowledge the moment with Trump and instead started talking about whether Sinner could mount a comeback.

Trump was invited to the U.S. Open by Rolex, the watch company and sponsor of many tennis events, according to a person briefed on the invitation. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the arrangement.

It was Trump’s first appearance at the Grand Slam tournament since 2015, when he was a candidate for president a year before he won his first term. He was booed then during a quarterfinal match between Venus and Serena Williams.

Before he moved into politics, Trump attended the U.S. Open frequently. He had a suite at the tournament for nearly two decades, and gave it up in 2017, the first year of his first term.

Trump has been a prominent presence in the sporting world during his second term. Following his November election win, Trump’s first major high-profile appearance outside his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida was attending a UFC fight in New York, alongside members of his administration, including Robert F. Kennedy, Tulsi Gabbard, and billionaire Elon Musk. Trump has a deep relationship with UFC chief executive Dana White, where he has frequented big fights over the years.

Those appearances have often involved Trump walking out of a tunnel alongside White to big cheers from the crowd. At Madison Square Garden last November, even that was escalated with a sizzle reel for Trump that turned the fighting showcase into something more resembling a campaign celebration party.

Trump, along with his daughter Ivanka Trump, attended Super Bowl LIX in February between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, where he left at halftime.

Trump is also an ardent supporter of LIV Golf, where his golf course, the Trump National Doral in Miami, hosts an event on the league’s calendar.

He also attended the final of the FIFA Club World Cup in June, where he presented the trophy to Chelsea, the champion of the tournament from the Premier League. This December, Trump is expected to attend the World Cup draw along with FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Sinner and Alcaraz are the top two players on the ATP Tour. Not only is the U.S. Open title on the line, but also the world No. 1 ranking. When asked about playing in front of Trump, Alcaraz said it is “a privilege” to have the American president “supporting the match,” adding that he would try not to think about his presence when play began.

Matthew Futterman and Richard Deitsch contributed to this report.

(Photo: Charly Triballeau / AFP via Getty Images)

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