President Donald Trump told reporters that the fans at the U.S. Open "were great," when he attended the men's final match at the tennis tournament in New York City.
"They were really nice — the fans were really nice," the president said upon his return to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland as he made his way back to the White House on Sunday. "I didn't know what to expect. Usually, you would say that would be a somewhat-progressive — as they say nowadays — crowd."
"But they were great. The fans were great," he added.
Trump attended Sunday's match as a guest of Rolex, despite the 39% tariffs he has imposed on imported goods from the Swiss watchmaker's home country.
Wearing his signature suit and long, red tie, the president emerged from his suite at Arthur Ashe stadium 45 minutes before the match began to a mixture of boos and cheers. The stadium was reportedly still mostly empty at that point, as thousands of attendees passed through Secret Service screening checkpoints.
He appeared again before the National Anthem, eliciting more boos when he was shown standing in salute on the arena's big screens. Trump was also shown on the big screen after the first set ended and raised his left fist in salute as the boos continued.
The U.S. Tennis Association, which hosts the annual event, tried to limit negative reaction to Trump's attendance by asking broadcasters to "refrain from showcasing any disruptions to the President's attendance in any capacity."
However, ESPN and ABC broadcasts reportedly captured the stadium's mixed reaction when he was shown on screen.
Trump, who worked in New York City real estate development for decades, said he used to attend the U.S. Open "all the time," but added that "lately, it's a little bit more difficult to go."
"I loved it," he told reporters on Sunday. "First of all, the two players have unbelievable talent … incredible talent."
Organizers pushed the match start time back half an hour to give people more time to get through security, but many seats, especially in the upper rows, were reportedly empty for nearly an hour.
In a statement, the Secret Service said that protecting Trump "required a comprehensive effort" and acknowledged that it "may have contributed to delays for attendees."
"We sincerely thank every fan for their patience and understanding," the agency said.
Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, defeated Jannik Sinner, of Italy, in four sets to win the men's final.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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