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NEW YORK — Donald Trump was booed loudly by fans inside Madison Square Garden when he was shown on video screens during the national anthem prior to Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday night.

Trump was shown for several seconds giving a military salute. The boos ended when the U.S. flag followed him on the screens, and fans cheered when New York Knicks players were shown. Mentions of the San Antonio Spurs also elicited loud boos.

Trump is watching from Knicks owner James Dolan’s suite, along with granddaughter Kai, personal adviser Boris Epshteyn and Cabinet secretaries Lee Zeldin, Sean Duffy and Doug Burgum. He is the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game.

Trump’s Marine One helicopter flew from his home in New Jersey and landed near Wall Street before his motorcade made its way up through Manhattan and to the arena roughly an hour before tipoff. He encountered a handful of people making rude gestures, and outside the area, one group held signs saying “Trump must go.”

He settled into Dolan’s suite shortly afterward.

During the afternoon before Trump’s arrival, the New York Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service set up a large perimeter surrounding Madison Square Garden. Fans lined up to get inside the arena more than four hours before tip-off, in a scene more closely resembling New Year’s Eve in Times Square than the usual leadup to a basketball game.

They were required to provide a ticket or pass to get past various checkpoints, along with going through a Transportation Security Administration-style magnetometer. Secret Service personnel and police were positioned at every corner and in large numbers. Daily commuters, tourists and fans were all confounded at various times as they tried to maneuver the security.

New Yorkers forced to adjust

After traveling from his new home in Florida for the game, Knicks fan Greg Weldon said the main inconvenience he’s faced so far has been the lack of information.

“We’ve asked so many cops, Secret Service, guys with machine guns, what to do, where should we go,” he said. “Nobody knows.”

Knicks coach Mike Brown and Spurs counterpart Mitch Johnson downplayed any concept of being inconvenienced by the closures and enhanced security because of Trump.

“There’s a lot going on, and I’d much rather be a part of it than not,” Johnson said.

With security stepped up, a watch party outside was canceled, and ticket holders were not allowed to bring bags inside the Garden. Fans had gathered near the arena to watch games during this playoff run, during which the Knicks have won 13 games in a row to reach the Final for the first time since 1999 and move two victories from their first NBA title since 1973.

“We are looking forward to bringing back watch parties for Game 4,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference Monday. “But I think New Yorkers are used to presidents coming to town, and they understand that that generally means lockdowns of areas and that’s what you’re going to see tonight at the Garden.”

Incidents heighten attention to Trump’s security

This is the latest major sporting event Trump has attended during his time as president, and the security measures have created major hassles for fans.

Thousands of fans missed the start of last year’s U.S. Open men’s singles final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner because of lengthy security lines. Even though the U.S. Tennis Assn. pushed back the start of the match by a half hour, many fans still couldn’t get in because added measures meant that they had to go through screening not only when they arrived at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, but again in front of the steps into Arthur Ashe Stadium, where Trump watched from a suite.

Federal law enforcement officials have been reexamining Trump’s security in light of three incidents in the past two years: a shooting at a 2024 rally in Butler, Penn.; the discovery of a man armed with a rifle as Trump played golf in West Palm Beach, Fla., later that year; and the recent shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Assn. dinner.

Asked Sunday his thoughts on Trump attending, Knicks center Mitchell Robinson said: “Cool, I guess. We can still get out there and play [no matter] who’s here and who’s not.”

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and other dignitaries were also at the game.

It was already hard enough for Knicks fans to get inside Madison Square Garden because of astronomical ticket prices. The get-in price for a ticket is higher than the average cost of monthly rent in New York, surging over $5,000. The best seats are tens of thousands of dollars. Mamdani said he bought his ticket, which he said was standing room only, for about $1,000 directly from Madison Square Garden.

The difficulty of seeing the game in person has prompted fans to crowd bars, streets and watch parties all over the city. The watch party near the Garden has become a major event all through the playoffs, but with Trump attending, that event was moved a few blocks away outside the security perimeter, at Bryant Park.

“We improvise,” said Knicks guard Jose Alvarado, who is a New York native. “We’re New Yorkers. We’re going to find a way to watch a game, and that’s what we’re doing.”

Whyno and Price write for the Associated Press.

Have you ever wondered what the inside of one of the most expensive hotel penthouses looks like? For a whopping £75,500 a night, it might leave your eyes watering

We all like a bit of luxury every now and then, but for a staggering £75,500 a night for a hotel suite, that’s something else entirely.

For that sum of money, you’d expect your own butler, sprawling swimming pool, private entrance, and some of the best views across Dubai – and that’s exactly what those forking out for a lavish stay at the Royal Mansion at Atlantis The Royal get. The price tag makes a little more sense considering a literal mansion in one of the world’s premier luxury capitals.

Dubai is renowned for its selection of opulent hotels and resorts, but the five-star Atlantis The Royal is one of the city’s most famous and luxurious beach resorts. Frequently named one of the best hotels in the world, it sits on the crescent of Palm Jumeirah, boasting a whopping 795 rooms, 17 restaurants, and 90 swimming pools, with its striking structure of six towers linked by an intricate design.

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For those who want to ‘live like royalty’ during a stay at Atlantis The Royal, the Royal Mansion is one of its signature penthouses, priced at around £75,500 (Dhs370,000 or $100,000) per night. Dubbed the ‘crown jewel’ of the resort, it spans 1,128 square metres across two levels, forming a penthouse that connects to both sides of the iconic hotel.

There’s a private foyer, complete with glass olive trees and sky-high ceilings, and four bedrooms that can sleep up to ten adults and one child, with three king beds and two queen beds. One of its most incredible features is the 476-square-metre terrace with an infinity pool, offering panoramic views across the Palm Jumeirah and the Dubai Skyline from a secluded, and very lavish retreat.

In addition, the penthouse features an outdoor kitchen, bar area, entertainment room, a library, a huge dining room table, both indoors and outdoors, a living area, a family room, a steam room and sprawling bedrooms with en-suites that are easily the size of a flat in London. The interiors are just as sumptuous and bespoke as you would imagine, with every corner designed to ooze indulgence.

As Atlantis The Royal states, “Every detail in the Royal Mansion will make you feel like royalty”. And there’s more.

Guests forking out for a stay in the mansion will also be given the five-star treatment. This includes in-room check-in, 24-hour dedicated butler service, 24-hour room service, a private in-suite lift, a private entrance, and privacy glass.

They can also lap up the benefits of an exclusive in-room celebrity chef dining, complimentary return airport transfers, complimentary minibar and complimentary breakfast, with the option of Gastronomy, in-room dining, or a floating breakfast. If that wasn’t enough, they also have daily access to the resorts’ AWAKEN Elements Retreat and exclusive “premium seating” at Aquaventure World, along with daily fast passes.

That’s just some of the additional benefits of booking the sprawling penthouse, which undoubtedly only welcomes the ultra-wealthy who can justify splashing out on what is twice the average annual salary in the UK for a hotel night away.

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