President Trump’s US Open visit sparks boos, long security lines

President Donald Trump attended the US Open on Sunday where he was booed by the crowd at the men’s final clash, which was delayed due to the extra security associated with his visit.

The final still featured long lines of attendees waiting to get in when play began.

Wearing a suit and long, red tie, Trump briefly emerged from his suite about 45 minutes before the match started and heard a mix of boos and cheers from an Arthur Ashe stadium, which was still mostly empty. No announcement proceeded his appearance, and it was brief enough that some in the crowd who were there missed it.

Trump appeared again to more boos before the National Anthem. Standing in salute, the president was shown briefly on the arena’s big screens during the song, and offered a smirk that briefly made the boos louder.

When the anthem was over, the Republican pointed to a small group of supporters seated nearby, then sat on the suite’s balcony to watch the match intently.

He mostly didn’t applaud, even following major points that energised the rest of the crowd as Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, 22, took on No. 1 seed and the tournament’s defending champion Jannik Sinner, 24, of Italy.

Trump was shown on the big screen again after the first set ended, and elicited louder boos. He raised his left fist in salute as the noise continued.

Organisers delayed the start of the match by half an hour to give people more time to pass through Secret Service screening checkpoints reminiscent of security at airports. Still, thousands of increasingly frustrated fans remained in line outside waiting to get inside well past the start of play.

Many seats, especially those in upper rows, stayed empty for nearly an hour.

The Secret Service in a statement said that protecting Trump “required a comprehensive effort”, noting that it “may have contributed to delays for attendees”.

“We sincerely thank every fan for their patience and understanding,” the statement said.

Trump attended the final as a guest of Rolex, despite imposing steep tariffs on the Swiss watchmaker’s home country.

The US Tennis Association also tried to limit negative reaction to Trump’s attendance being shown on ABC’s national telecast, saying in a statement before play began: “We regularly ask our broadcasters to refrain from showcasing off-court disruptions.”

The reactions to Trump didn’t ultimately constitute major disruptions, though.

Going to the US Open was the latest example of Trump having built the bulk of his second term’s domestic travel around attending major sports events rather than hitting the road to make policy announcements or address the kind of large rallies he so relished as a candidate.

Since returning to the White House in January and prior to Sunday’s US Open swing, Trump went to the Super Bowl in New Orleans and the Daytona 500, as well as UFC fights in Miami and Newark, New Jersey, the NCAA wrestling championships in Philadelphia and the FIFA Club World Cup final in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Some of those crowds cheered him, but people booed him at other events.

The president accepted Rolex’s invitation despite his administration imposing a whopping 39 per cent tariff on Swiss products. That’s more than 2 ½ times higher than levies on European Union goods exported to the US and nearly four times higher than on British exports to the US.

The White House declined to comment on Trump accepting a corporate client’s invitation at the tournament, but the president has had few qualms about blurring lines between political and foreign policy decisions and efforts to boost the profits of his family business.

He’s tirelessly promoted his cryptocurrency interests and luxury golf properties, and even announced that the US will host the Group of 20 summit in December 2026 at his Doral golf resort in Florida.

No major street protests against Trump could be seen from the tournament’s main stadium on Sunday. But attendees also steered clear of wearing any of the the Republican’s signature “Make America Great Again” caps.

A 58-year tennis fan originally from Turin, Italy, came from her home in the Boston area to watch the final and said that when she bought a US Open cap, she went with a fuchsia-hued one so it wouldn’t be mistaken for the signature darker colour of MAGA hats.

“I was careful not to get the red one,” said the fan, who declined to give her name because of her employer’s rules about being publicly quoted.

Among those attending with Trump were White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff. Trump spent various portions of the match engaged in conversation with many of those around him.

Elsewhere in the crowd were a slew of celebrities — some of whom publicly backed then-vice president Kamala Harris during last year’s election. Among them were Pink, Bruce Springsteen and Shonda Rhimes.

Trump was once a US Open mainstay, but hadn’t attended since he was booed at a quarterfinal match in September 2015, months after launching his first presidential campaign.

The Trump Organization once controlled its own US Open suite, which was adjacent to the stadium’s television broadcasting booth, but suspended it in 2017, during the first year of Trump’s first term. The family business is now being run by Trump’s sons with their father back in the White House.