A presidential visit to Madison Square Garden on June 8, 2026, turned into a public relations disaster for President Donald Trump when he failed to follow standard etiquette during the national anthem at the NBA Finals, saluting instead of placing his hand over his heart as federal law prescribes for civilians.
Trump, 79, became the first sitting president ever to attend an NBA Finals game when he appeared at Game 3 between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs. The New York crowd greeted him with sustained boos that only intensified as the anthem played and cameras captured his breach of protocol.
Trump arrived at the arena with an entourage that included his 19-year-old granddaughter, Kai Trump, and several members of his cabinet. His appearance caused major headaches for fans trying to enter the arena, with security measures snarling traffic outside one of the most famous venues in sports. Once inside, the president — who officially left New York City for Palm Beach years ago — was greeted with the kind of reception New Yorkers reserve for visiting villains.
What the Flag Code Actually Says
Federal law, specifically 36 U.S. Code § 301, is clear about anthem conduct. According to the U.S. Flag Code, when the American flag is present, “individuals in uniform should give the military salute at the first note of the anthem and maintain that position until the last note.”
The code goes on to specify that “all other persons present should face the flag and stand at attention with their right hand over the heart, and men not in uniform, if applicable, should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart.”
Trump has never served in the armed forces. He avoided being drafted during the Vietnam War five times, receiving four education deferments and one medical deferment for bone spurs in 1968. Yet he has made a habit of saluting during the anthem — including at the Army-Navy football game, during his inauguration proceedings in January 2025, and at a church service at Washington National Cathedral.
The Flag Code is never enforced and there is no punishment for breaching it. But the optics matter — particularly for a president who has spent much of his political career criticizing NFL players who knelt during the anthem and casting himself as the foremost defender of patriotic ritual.
A Jumbotron Moment Gone Wrong
The president appeared on Madison Square Garden’s Jumbotron after Broadway star Avery Wilson had already begun singing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” As his image flashed across the giant screen, the arena erupted into boos. Trump smiled, his hand casting a shadow over his face.
At first, Trump stared straight ahead without moving, his hands at his sides, as those around him, including Kai Trump and several cabinet officials, placed their right hands over their hearts. By the time Wilson had finished the first stanza, Trump was still standing motionless. It wasn’t until the camera panned to him that the president lifted his hand in a military salute. He followed it up with a fist pump.
But it was what his hands were — and weren’t — doing that drew the sharpest scrutiny. By the time Wilson finished the final notes, the booing had only grown louder. Trump, still smiling, lowered his hand.
A Pattern of Hostile Welcomes
The reception on June 8, 2026, was not the first time Trump has been jeered at a New York sporting event. He drew a mixed reaction of boos and cheers at a New York Yankees game at Yankee Stadium in September 2025, where he also opted for a salute rather than the hand-over-heart gesture.
And anthem trouble has dogged him for years. On January 9, 2018, while attending the college football championship game in Atlanta between the University of Alabama and the University of Georgia, Trump appeared to mouth the wrong words to the anthem. Footage from that night showed him mouthing some lyrics while occasionally pausing and missing others entirely. He clearly mouthed “bright stars” and finished with a flourish, smiling and singing “the land of the free and the home of the brave” — but other lines were not sung at all. That appearance was greeted with a mixed reaction of cheers and boos.
Trump’s anthem habits have invited comparisons to other presidents. Former President Barack Obama famously neglected to put his hand over his heart during the 2008 election campaign, later explaining that his grandfather had taught him to do so only during the Pledge of Allegiance, and to sing during the anthem instead.
The Spectacle Continues
The Knicks lost 115-111, snapping a 13-game winning streak — a result some fans were quick to blame on Trump’s presence.
Asked by reporters what he made of the reception, Trump was unbothered. “I thought it was amazing, actually,” he said. “It was, I think, mostly cheers. It was loud, and it was very enthusiastic.” Whether anyone in his orbit attempts to brief him on the difference between a salute and a hand over the heart before the next high-profile sporting event remains, like the anthem itself, an open question.
Trump has been pictured singing the anthem in the past and has been vocal in his support of respecting the anthem and the flag — making the moment at Madison Square Garden all the more striking.
The moment took on a new dimension when Kai Trump posted a video on Instagram thanking an app called 15 Seconds of Fame for capturing the moment. Viewers noted the audio appeared to replace the arena’s boos with generic cheers, with the anthem itself absent. The app, which uses facial recognition to create personalized game-day clips, was cited by a Page Six report as the source of the edit — an ironic coda to an already chaotic evening.