US Open men’s final attendees were forced to deal with excessively long lines after President Trump caused a security logistics nightmare.
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According to the BBC, the match between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner was initially set for 2 p.m. local time on Monday at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The highly anticipated match was delayed by 30 minutes due to the extra security measures.
“As a result of the security measures in place, and to ensure that fans have additional time to get to their seats, we have pushed the start time,” the sporting event’s organizers announced in a statement.
Numerous attendees stated they were not warned in advance by the U.S. Open organizers about the upped security measures.
Just before entering Arthur Ashe Stadium, Trump posted on Truth Social, “Doing a flyover of the Tennis Center right now. We’ll be landing shortly. Should be a great Match!”
Trump then appeared at his hospitality suite just minutes before the U.S. Open men’s finals were initially supposed to start. He also appeared shortly before the U.S. national anthem began during the pre-match ceremony. It was reportedly 2:50 p.m. when Sinner started the match.
Martina Navratilova, who won four of her 18 Grand Slam titles at the US Open, was sympathetic towards attendees who dealt with the long lines.
“Let’s spare a thought for the thousands of people waiting outside in the drizzle,” she said. “It’s been raining on and off – and they’ve paid thousands of dollars for these tickets.”
She also made sure to note that it wasn’t Trump’s presence that was the issue.
“It’s not that he’s coming that’s the problem,” the tennis champion pointed out. “It’s that they only make one entrance for the whole crowd.”
The White House Goes After Celebrities Critical of President Trump Following His US Open Appearance
Following President Trump’s US Open appearance, the White House unleashed on celebrities who have been critical of the world leader.
While responding to the reports about the long lines and delays at the US Open, the White House staff made some snarky comments about Stephen Colbert and Bruce Springsteen, who were also at the major sporting event.
“Oh no! How will ever recover from the pathetic (but hilarious) crying of Loser Bruce Springsteen and Newly Unemployed Stephen Colbert?” the Rapid Response 47 account posted on X. The post also included a screenshot of the Daily Mail article about “stony-faced celebs” watching the US Open Men’s Finals.
Along with Colbert and Springsteen, other celebrities who attended the event were Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michael Douglas, and Ben Stiller. Debra Messing was reportedly at the event but sat in a car for an hour. However, “they wouldn’t let her out,” per a source to Page Six.
This was the first time that a US President attended the US Open since 2000.