(AFP) – President Donald Trump is to attend the US Open men’s final on Sunday, adding the Grand Slam tennis tournament to a list of high-profile sport outings since beginning his new term. The New York-born billionaire plans to join a host of other celebrities taking in the battle between top-seeds Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. It will mark Trump’s first appearance at Flushing Meadows since 2015 — when the then-presidential candidate and wife Melania were booed on arrival by the crowd. Many are anticipating a similar welcome this time around. While the Republican leader enjoys pockets of support in his native city, it is overwhelmingly Democratic.
Spanish star Alcaraz said Friday he plans to “try not to think about” the hub-bub in the stands, but appreciated the attention it would bring to the sport. “I don’t want myself to be nervous because of it, but I think attending the tennis match, it’s great for tennis to have the president (at) the final.” Already, tight security is expected to be heightened with the US head of state in attendance. Trump has attended a series of glitzy sporting events since retaking office in January. He was booed again at the FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey but had a warmer reception at the Super Bowl and a number of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bouts, as well as the Daytona 500 NASCAR race.
Trump says he also plans to attend the first day of golf’s Ryder Cup later this month, while preparations are underway to host a UFC fight on the White House grounds.
Meanwhile, he is also hailing the 2026 World Cup — jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico — and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics as part of what he claims is a “Golden Age of America” ushered in by his presidency. The last sitting president to attend the tennis Grand Slam in New York — and the first in history to go to the US Open — was Democrat Bill Clinton, who watched the women’s final in 2000. Trump was there too and had a cordial meeting with Clinton, according to pictures from the encounter.
Though Trump made his name in New York, he changed his residency during his first term from Manhattan to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. The 79-year-old has only intermittently returned to New York but spent several weeks at his luxury Fifth Avenue condo last year while undergoing a historic criminal trial mid-campaign. He is expected back in the city to attend a baseball game on the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, as well as to address the UN General Assembly on September 23.
– Daniel STUBLEN
© 2024 AFP
