Donald Trump stole the show at the US Open men’s final on Sunday. He dazzled the crowd and won over the media, too, during his turn at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The ex-president, known for his deep ties to the event, made a surprise appearance on the stadium’s Jumbotron. At the intermission between the first and second sets, the crowd had a mixed reaction.
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) aired a 20-second shot of Trump on the big screen, showcasing him in his luxury box seat alongside several high-profile guests. His attendance was far from a token appearance. It featured more than four decades of his contributions to the US Open, where he often leveraged the affair to put himself in the spotlight. This time, the response was very chilly.
When Trump came on the screen, he was greeted with boos from the Brooklyn crowd. His presence throughout this period appeared to provide a useful distraction from growing recession warning signs and other related media coverage about speculation surrounding his health. Trump came out of the luxury box to shake hands with the rowdy group of MAGA fans. With this decision, the crowd erupted even more in response.
His last high-profile appearance at a US Open semi-final match between Venus and Serena Williams drew furious backlash. You could hear the boos echo throughout the venue, my god what a heated reaction. Yet you would not have known it by his stoic face in those times. The smirk grew when faced with backlash during the national anthem.
“He wants to be the bride at every wedding, the corpse at every funeral, and the baby at every christening.” – Alice Roosevelt Longworth
The USTA threatened broadcasters not to show any protests or criticism of Trump. His attendance had become a controversial topic throughout the tournament. Trump’s long history with the event includes previous clashes, such as his controversial presidential campaign announcement in 2015 that drew significant criticism.
Discussions online about Trump’s upcoming appearance have raised some chilling but apt comparisons to other populist strongmen. Leaders such as Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un are well-known for their showmanship at international sporting competitions. The juxtaposition of these figures with Trump highlights the spectacle that surrounds his appearances and raises questions about their implications in American society.
Carlos Alcaraz, one of the players who was eventually to take part in the tournament, shared his trepidation about playing in front of Trump. He stated, “For me, playing in front of him, I don’t want myself to be nervous.” This feeling epitomizes the burden athletes often carry when VIPs are in attendance at important gatherings.