President Donald Trump is receiving another wave of online backlash after photos of him falling asleep during Monday night’s New York Knicks game went viral.
The former New York real estate mogul made a big scene when he flew to the Big Apple to watch his favorite NBA team, the New York Knicks, compete in the 2026 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs. After getting the NYPD to block traffic and restrict access to the entire Midtown area surrounding Madison Square Garden, social media users lost it after seeing footage and photos of him dozing off during the game, accusing him of wasting taxpayer money and more.
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President Trump Seemingly Falls Asleep At The New York Knicks Game
One of the most talked-about events of the last two weeks has been the 2026 NBA Finals, and the exciting face-off between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs. For many New Yorkers, this year's games are a big deal, as their home team hasn't competed in the finals since 1999, nor won a championship since 1970.
Because of the exciting and eventful moment in sports history, many famous New Yorkers and Knicks fans have been attending games, from Timothee Chalamet and Kylie Jenner to iconic filmmaker Spike Lee and the mayor of the city, Zohran Mamdani. However, lots of heads were turned when it was revealed that President Trump would be making a special trip to the city to watch the game with several members of his family.
On Monday, prior to the third game in the Finals, the New York City Police Department announced they needed to create a security perimeter and block off a radius surrounding the game's venue, Madison Square Garden, to protect the high-profile guest. New Yorkers who didn't have a ticket to the game or a valid reason to be in the area would not be allowed through.
During the game, after getting booed during the National Anthem, the president, whose attendance had already caused a lot of chaos and backlash in the city, was filmed and photographed dozing off in his VIP box suite.
You can see the footage of him seemingly dozing off here!
Social Media Users & New Yorkers Slam Trump For Falling Asleep
As if the 79-year-old's presence at the game wasn't controversial enough, for many social media users, Knicks fans, and other New York residents became very fired up after seeing images of him at the game falling asleep while sitting in his chair.
Many users expressed outrage over how the area surrounding the game was so restricted for his safety, and how it inconvenienced numerous people who not only live in the city, but also need to commute in and out of it via Penn Station, located underneath Madison Square Garden. Those who did have tickets to the game complained online about being asked to get there 2 hours early to stand in TSA-style security lines before making it to their seats. Therefore, seeing the president sleeping caused another wave of backlash.
"They shut down Midtown so he could nap," wrote an X user. "A disgrace to our city."
One user wrote that Trump "inconvenienced all of NYC just so he could get booed and [have] some nappy time at the game."
"If you can fall asleep during an NBA championship game, with that noise and energy, you're not tired, your brain is compromised," commented another.
Some users nicknamed the president "Don Snorleone," "Sleepy Don," "The Nodfather," and more, while others called his alleged snooze "The most expensive taxpayer-funded nap."
