Hours before President Trump appeared at Game 3 of the NBA finals in New York City, longtime The View co-host Whoopi Goldberg defended the world leader’s decision to attend the sporting event.
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“I think anybody who’s a Knicks fan should be there,” she said while discussing Trump and New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani attending the game. “You earned the right as a Knicks fan. I don’t have to like you.”
Goldberg also pushed back after the show aired various videos of fans criticizing Trump and Mamdani’s appearances at Game 3.
“I’m sorry. Trump and Mayor Mamdani are Knicks fans and have been; they’re New Yorkers,” she pointed out. “And… there’s nothing either one of them can do to change what’s happening in this city for this team.”
Instead of focusing on who is attending the game, Goldberg pivoted to celebrating the Knicks’ lead over the San Antonio Spurs. “Tonight, tonight tonight! Come on, Knicks! Come on, Knicks! We earned this bad boy. We earned this!”
Goldberg further dismissed the claims that Trump could hurt the Knicks’ chances of winning the game.
“You know what, I don’t think anything can jinx anything,” she said. “I think these guys are on a mission.”
However, fellow co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin noted that Trump could be blamed if the Knicks lost the game.
“If I were advising him, I would be like, do not go,” she said. “Because if they lose tonight, everybody is going to -”
Co-host Sunny Hostin quickly interuptted, “The jinx!”
Trump Said He Was Personally Invited to Game 3 By the New York Knicks Owner
President Trump previously stated that James Dolan, the owner of the New York Knicks, had invited him to the game.
“I’ve been a Knicks fan for a long time,” he stated. “And also a Jim Dolan fan. He’s a nice guy. The answer is yes, he’s invited me, and I’m going.”
However, the world leader didn’t get a warm welcome during the game.
The Knicks previously had a 2-0 lead against the Spurs. However, the Spurs beat the Knicks during Game 3. The teams will now face off during Game 4 at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.
Trump didn’t seem fazed by the reaction.
“I thought great,” the world leader said about the reaction while speaking to reporters after the game. “It was amazing, actually. I thought it was very good, yeah. It was certainly amazing.”
The Knicks haven’t won an NBA title since 1973. He was booed loudly by NBA fans inside Madison Square Garden when he was shown on the arena’s video screens during the national anthem.