Donald Trump’s Arrival Forces $10K Paying Knicks Fans to Wait Hours Outside Madison Square Garden

Secret Service, NYPD and other law enforcement agencies enforced restrictions around Madison Square Garden ahead of Donald Trump's arrival.

Donald Trump’s Arrival Forces $10K Paying Knicks Fans to Wait Hours Outside Madison Square Garden

Fans wait hours to enter MSG ahead of Donald Trump's arrival (Image via FirstSportz)

With the news that Donald Trump would be attending Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden, it was expected that tough security measures would be in place.

After all, this is the first time an active President was to attend an NBA game. In the past, several former heads of state have found themselves enjoying a game or two, but being in power brings along a lot of complications.

If he is going to his own golf course in Florida, the entire Secret Service entourage is on high alert. With instances of assassination attempts, no one wants to take a chance.

Some, such as Stephen A. Smith, asked Trump not to attend the game. He pointed to the chaos that already ensues during a Knicks playoff game, and this time it is the Finals.

Despite that, the soon-to-be 80-year-old confirmed he would honor Knicks owner James Dolan‘s invitation and make his way to Madison Square Garden. The franchise let its fans know that several measures would be taken to ensure the stage is secure for the arrival of the most powerful man in the world.

A ‘no bag’ policy was enforced, and fans were advised to bring just necessary personal items. But what affected passionate New Yorkers the most was the TSA-style security checks.

Video clips from around the Garden show lines forming three hours before tip-off. Therefore, the fans not only had to fork out over $10K for the tickets, but also had to wait wearing their full Knicks gear for hours before they were let in.

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Security measures for Donald Trump forced ESPN Insider to leave his AirPods

Fans waiting in line were just one area where those associated with the NBA Finals had to face some discomfort with Donald Trump’s arrival. When Shams Charania was speaking on NBA Today, he briefed on what he faced outside Madison Square Garden.

Secret Service installed fences outside MSG
Secret Service installed fences outside MSG (Image via FTW/X)

I was actually stopped by the Secret Service right over there, cause my AirPod fell. Secret Service came out to me and said, ‘Hey, Secret Service, you’re gonna have to get out of the intersection.’ So, I had to get out.

Shams Charania revealed

The Insider was speaking over the airwaves as NBA Today had to relocate to a different area once law enforcement canceled all watch parties around MSG.

This means that Charania and others like him, working to cover the NBA Finals, were affected by heightened security hours before fans started to face the consequences.

It seems the Secret Service, the NYPD, and other law enforcement agencies were serious about making the area secure enough before Donald Trump arrived. So much so that Charania was not allowed to retrieve his AirPods even though there was time until the President arrived.

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Donald Trump’s arrival forced NYPD to assign massive force outside MSG

Donald Trump has visited Madison Square Garden numerous times before. He was born and raised in New York and has been an avid Knicks fan throughout his life.

However, all those times he enjoyed watching his hometown team, neither was he a President, nor was he a former President. In both those instances, the rules state that he should get Secret Service protection, and also that from local law enforcement as and when necessary.

Former president Bill Clinton had Secret Service agents beside him when he recently met Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Therefore, in the case of an active President, the stakes are a lot higher.

There was no secret that the NYPD would have to assign a massive chunk of its force towards Game 3 to ensure areas in and around Madison Square Garden remain secure.

But video clips show just how big a force the famed department assigned for Donald Trump’s arrival. Even though watch parties were banned around the Arena, it is clear that law enforcement agencies were not taking a chance.

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