President Donald Trump turned a high-profile night at Madison Square Garden into a viral etiquette flap on Monday, June 8, 2026, when he fumbled standard protocol during the national anthem at Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs — and was drowned out by a chorus of boos from the New York crowd.
Trump, 79, arrived at the arena with an entourage that included his 19-year-old granddaughter, Kai Trump, and several members of his cabinet. His appearance caused major headaches for fans trying to enter the arena, with security measures snarling traffic outside one of the most famous venues in sports. Once inside, the president — who officially left New York City for Palm Beach years ago — was greeted with the kind of reception New Yorkers reserve for visiting villains.
A Jumbotron Moment Gone Wrong
The trouble began almost as soon as Broadway star Avery Wilson launched into “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Trump first appeared on MSG’s Jumbotron after the anthem had already begun. As his image flashed across the giant screen, the arena erupted into boos. Trump smiled, his hand casting a shadow over his face.
But it was what his hands were — and weren’t — doing that drew the sharpest scrutiny. At first, Trump stared straight ahead without moving, his hands at his sides, as those around him, including Kai Trump and several cabinet officials, placed their right hands over their hearts. By the time Wilson had finished the first stanza, Trump was still standing motionless.
It wasn’t until the camera panned to him that the president lifted his hand in a salute. He followed it up with a fist pump. Kai Trump, meanwhile, managed to get it right, keeping her hand over her heart for the duration of the anthem — as did the cabinet members seated nearby. Trump was the only person in his section saluting.
What the Flag Code Actually Says
According to the U.S. Flag Code, individuals should place their right hand over their heart while the national anthem is being performed. Federal law, specifically 36 U.S. Code § 301, states that this gesture should be observed during the anthem when the American flag is present, “individuals in uniform should give the military salute at the first note of the anthem and maintain that position until the last note.”
The code goes on to specify that “all other persons present should face the flag and stand at attention with their right hand over the heart, and men not in uniform, if applicable, should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart.”
The Flag Code is never enforced and there is no punishment for breaching it. But the optics matter — particularly for a president who has spent much of his political career criticizing NFL players who knelt during the anthem and casting himself as the foremost defender of patriotic ritual.
Trump has never served in the armed forces. He avoided being drafted during the Vietnam War five times, receiving four education deferments and one medical deferment for bone spurs in 1968. Yet he has made a habit of saluting during the anthem — including at the Army-Navy football game, during his inauguration proceedings in January 2025, and at a church service at Washington National Cathedral.
A Pattern of Hostile Welcomes
Monday’s reaction was not the first time Trump has been jeered at a New York sporting event. He drew waves of boos at a New York Yankees game at Yankee Stadium in September 2025, where he also opted for a salute rather than the hand-over-heart gesture.
And anthem trouble has dogged him for years. On January 9, 2018, while attending the college football championship game in Atlanta, Georgia, between the University of Alabama and the University of Georgia, Trump appeared to mouth the wrong words to the anthem. Footage from that night showed him mouthing some lyrics while occasionally pausing and missing others entirely. He clearly mouthed “bright stars” and finished with a flourish, smiling and singing “the land of the free and the home of the brave” — but other lines were not sung at all. That appearance was greeted with a mixed reaction of cheers and boos.
Trump’s anthem habits have invited comparisons to other presidents. Barack Obama famously neglected to put his hand over his heart during the 2008 election campaign, later explaining that his grandfather had taught him to do so only during the Pledge of Allegiance, and to sing during the anthem instead.
The Spectacle Continues
By the time Wilson finished the final notes, the booing had only grown louder. Trump, still smiling, lowered his hand. Kai Trump remained at her grandfather’s side throughout, drawing some attention online for her composure and her textbook execution of the very etiquette the president seemed unable to muster.
Trump has been pictured singing the anthem in the past and has been vocal in his support of respecting the anthem and the flag — making the moment at Madison Square Garden all the more striking. Whether anyone in his orbit attempts to brief him on the difference between a salute and a hand over the heart before the next high-profile sporting event remains, like the anthem itself, an open question.
