{"id":3528,"date":"2026-06-13T09:35:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T09:35:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=3528"},"modified":"2026-06-13T09:35:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T09:35:17","slug":"trump-trades-nba-boos-for-ufc-cheers-as-sports-become-dividing-line","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=3528","title":{"rendered":"Trump trades NBA boos for UFC cheers as sports become dividing line"},"content":{"rendered":"

Once a refuge from political division, major sports have become a partisan arena in the Trump era.<\/strong><\/p>

Read more Citron hits winning jumper at the buzzer, Betts scores career-high 18 as Mystics beat Tempo<\/a><\/p>\n

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President Donald Trump attended Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday night in New York. (Mark Schiefelbein\/AP)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

President Donald Trump began his week by attending<\/a> the NBA Finals, booed lustily by the New York crowd. He\u2019s set to end it Sunday night being cheered at a UFC cage match outside the White House on his birthday.<\/p>\n

No prior president has attended the NBA Finals nor hosted a UFC fight \u2014 let alone in the same seven-day span. But for Trump, the events are just the latest sports episodes in a presidency punctuated by football championships, golf tournaments and the Daytona 500.<\/p>\n

The fans\u2019 reaction, meantime, underscores how sports have become a partisan playing field, with football, golf, auto racing and UFC skewing Republican \u2014 and Trump repeatedly wrapping himself in those fans\u2019 embrace.<\/p>\n

By contrast, Trump did not attend the U.S. national team\u2019s first game in the World Cup soccer tournament on Friday night. Polls have shown that fans of soccer, like basketball and tennis, skew toward Democrats.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe should stick to the UFC,\u201d Joe Rogan, a popular podcaster who supported Trump\u2019s election but has criticized him more recently, said on his show after the president\u2019s rough reception at the NBA Finals. \u201cThey\u2019re going to boo him everywhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump has said he\u2019s an avid fan of many sports \u2014 including the NBA and his hometown New York Knicks, who hosted Monday night\u2019s game. He has extolled the UFC showcase as a one-of-a-kind event that will energize Americans and put on a spotlight on mixed-martial artists, whom Trump has called \u201cthe toughest people\u201d in sports.<\/p>\n

The president has spent months showing off a booklet prepared by the UFC to guests in the Oval Office, including New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, according to four people who spoke on the condition of anonymity <\/b>to discuss private meetings.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis would be the highest-rated event, maybe one of them ever in sports,\u201d the president told his daughter-in-law Lara Trump on a recent podcast, as he gave her a tour of the UFC arena being built at the White House.<\/p>\n

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The UFC Octagon is in place on the South Lawn of the White House for Sunday’s event. (Maxine Wallace\/The Washington Post)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

The White House defended Trump\u2019s decision to attend and host the sporting events amid other priorities, including efforts to reach a peace deal with Iran.<\/p>\n

\u201cPresident Trump is the greatest champion for sports of any president in American history, and he loves them as the People\u2019s President,\u201d spokesperson Olivia Wales said in a statement, touting the upcoming UFC fight. \u201cThis will be one of the greatest sports events in history, and President Trump hosting it at the White House is a testament to his vision to celebrate America\u2019s monumental 250th anniversary.\u201d<\/p>\n

While sports can bring people together, Trump\u2019s events this week unified many against him.<\/p>\n

Multiple surveys<\/a> have found that Americans are more likely to disapprove of the president\u2019s idea to stage a UFC fight, warning that it will harm the White House\u2019s image. Just 16 percent of Americans said it was appropriate for Trump to host mixed-martial arts fights on the White House\u2019s lawn, while 46 percent called it inappropriate, according to a Reuters\/Ipsos poll<\/a> conducted this month.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is clearly intended to push a power projection narrative, and to present a kind of a muscularity,\u201d White House historian Edward Lengel said. \u201cIronically, I think instead it projects weakness, and it projects buffoonery.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many fans of the New York Knicks also didn\u2019t want Trump in attendance at Monday night\u2019s NBA Finals game, blaming the president<\/a> for logistical hurdles that complicated fans\u2019 ability to enter the arena \u2014 and creating a distraction that contributed to the team\u2019s eventual defeat.<\/p>

Read more Rain showers delay the start of the first India-Afghanistan one-day cricket match<\/a><\/p>\n

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Knicks fans hold up their screens during Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday night while police officers look to keep order. (Adam Gray\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

The Knicks have lost only one time in the past 51 days: the game that the president attended. The team is bidding for its first NBA title in 53 years.<\/p>\n

Trump also spent several days feuding with Stephen A. Smith, one of the nation\u2019s most prominent sports commentators, after Smith urged Trump not to attend the NBA Finals, warning that the spectacle would distract the hometown Knicks. The president hit back by insulting Smith\u2019s intelligence in remarks and on social media posts, prompting the pundit to attack the president and his policies.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Aren\u2019t] the American people suffering because inflation is pervasive in our lives while you, your family, and your cronies continue to profit?\u201d Smith said in an extended segment on his SiriusXM show, \u201cStraight Shooter with Stephen A.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of Trump\u2019s allies say he\u2019s getting a raw deal from unhappy fans.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019s a great guy,\u201d James Dolan, the Knicks\u2019 owner, told a radio-show host this week, dismissing claims that Trump fell asleep during Monday night\u2019s game.<\/p>\n

Trump has also downplayed the criticism, including when reporters asked him about the reception at the NBA Finals.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think, mostly cheers. It was loud and it was very enthusiastic,\u201d the president said.<\/p>\n

Surveys conducted by The Washington Post and the University of Maryland across 2022 and 2023 illustrated the partisan divide among the fan bases of major sports.<\/p>\n

While some of the most prominent football players, racecar drivers and golfers are public Trump supporters, many NBA stars, such as LeBron James, have criticized Trump and his policies.<\/p>\n

Basketball also has been closely linked with Barack Obama, Trump\u2019s predecessor in his first term, who hosted NBA players for games at the White House and issued predictions for the NCAA basketball tournament each year. When Obama attended a 2019 NBA Finals game in Toronto, the former president received sustained cheers and a standing ovation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, NASCAR was the source<\/a> of the \u201cLet\u2019s go, Brandon\u201d chant and slogan that Republicans used to mock another of Trump\u2019s predecessors, Joe Biden. The chant originated in an October 2021 interview between a reporter and NASCAR driver Brandon Brown, as the crowd chanted \u201cF— Joe Biden.\u201d The reporter instead interpreted the chant as \u201cLet\u2019s go Brandon,\u201d sparking years of the GOP using the line as a coded reference.<\/p>\n

Trump has signaled that more sporting events are in his future, having said he hopes to watch a World Cup match as the United States hosts its first tournament in more than three decades. The White House has also helped organize an IndyCar race through the streets of Washington set for later this year.<\/p>\n

President Bill Clinton attended the first game the last time the United States hosted the World Cup in 1994, a match between Germany and Bolivia.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe love of soccer is now a universal language that binds us all together,\u201d Clinton said in a speech<\/a> to more than 63,000 fans at Chicago\u2019s Soldier Field, kicking off the tournament.<\/p>

Read more OU\u2019s Mullings wins 2nd straight discus title, Arkansas takes men\u2019s team crown at NCAA outdoors<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Once a refuge from political division, major sports have become a partisan arena in the Trump era.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3524,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3528","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nTrump trades NBA boos for UFC cheers as sports become dividing line - Moving Insider USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=3528\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Trump trades NBA boos for UFC cheers as sports become dividing line - Moving Insider USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Once a refuge from political division, major sports have become a partisan arena in the Trump era.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=3528\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Moving Insider USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-13T09:35:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/a35e89a278c719064d55b45f5161d668-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=3528#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=3528\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/22d40ab81790f6a361021763bb56ef03\"},\"headline\":\"Trump trades NBA boos for UFC cheers as sports become dividing line\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-13T09:35:17+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=3528\"},\"wordCount\":1230,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=3528#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/95d670468704a1e8038f1bb8e9e089af-scaled.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Interesting\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=3528#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=3528\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=3528\",\"name\":\"Trump trades NBA boos for UFC cheers as sports become dividing line - Moving Insider USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=3528#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=3528#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/95d670468704a1e8038f1bb8e9e089af-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-13T09:35:17+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/22d40ab81790f6a361021763bb56ef03\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=3528#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=3528\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=3528#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/95d670468704a1e8038f1bb8e9e089af-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/95d670468704a1e8038f1bb8e9e089af-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707,\"caption\":\"President Donald Trump attends an NBA Finals playoff basketball game between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden in New York, Monday, June 8, 2026, with Kai Trump. 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