The New York Knicks might have felt upstaged by Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden on Monday night, but the team hopes Taylor Swift will prove more of a good luck charm ahead of her Game 4 appearance on Wednesday.
Trump became the first sitting president in history to watch an NBA Finals contest after controversially attending Game 3 of the series between the Knicks and San Antonio Spurs.
In the end, it wasn’t the night that the president, a native New Yorker, had hoped for. The Knicks fell to their first defeat in 14 games and Trump was heavily booed by fans.
It was confirmed Trump will not return to MSG on Wednesday night – much to the relief of the Knicks players – and that paved the way for Swift to appear for Game 4 at the venue where insiders claim she will marry Travis Kelce on July 3.
The pop superstar is expected to appear with friends at the hugely anticipated game, with Kelce away in Kansas City for a Chiefs minicamp ahead of the upcoming NFL season.
A source close to the team told The Daily Mail: ‘The team has no interest in addressing the Trump situation publicly or making excuses, nor do they want to create any tension with ownership (MSG owner James Dolan invited Trump to the game).
The New York Knicks think Taylor Swift will bring better vibes than Donald Trump to MSG
Trump became the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals contest on Monday evening
Taylor Swift, meanwhile, watched the Knicks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the last round
‘But once word gets around about Taylor Swift showing up, her presence will be met with far more enthusiasm. And two players who will likely be especially excited to see her courtside are Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson – they are both fans of her.
‘For now, so close to the game, most of the players will have their focus squarely on is a must-win matchup.
‘But the last time she was at a Knicks game, she was with Travis supporting his Cavs. It will be nice this time around for her to throw her fandom toward the Knicks and offer some luck to the team to get that championship back to New York.’
Swift, 36, is likely to receive a warmer reception than the president did on Monday. The White House pool report noted that Trump was ‘thunderously booed’ before the Spurs’ 115-111 victory over the Knicks, but he batted off the criticism and suggested it was ‘mostly cheers’ from the MSG crowd.
However, the Knicks had a different view on the matter and felt the negative reaction to Trump definitely had a knock-on effect on the arena’s mood.
‘Many believe the focus shifted away from the game and onto him, altering the atmosphere in the arena and changing the energy among the fans,’ the source added.
‘The players are hoping for a more authentic environment in the next game – one where they can stick to their normal routines, maintain their focus, and put together the kind of performance that leads to a win.’
Trump and Swift famously both attended the Super Bowl in New Orleans in February 2025, when the Philadelphia Eagles beat Kelce’s Chiefs 40-22. Swift was booed that day by parts of the stadium occupied by Eagles fans.
Swift is heading to MSG – the apparent venue of her wedding – for Game 4 on Wednesday
Insiders say Knicks star Jalen Brunson will be excited to hear Swift is going to the game
It was already confirmed that Trump will not attend Game 4 due to a scheduling conflict
Trump gleefully mocked her after the game, posting on Truth Social: ‘The only one that had a tougher night than the Kansas City Chiefs was Taylor Swift. She got BOOED out of the Stadium. MAGA is very unforgiving!’
Swift has lived in New York since 2014 and has been to several Knicks games since then. When she was with Kelce for the game in Cleveland in the last round, the Knicks won 121-108, so fans will be hopeful that she proves a good luck charm this time around.
And of course, the arena being what many believe to be her wedding venue adds another element of excitement for Swift, too – even if some in the industry believe her MSG wedding plans are a high-level decoy.
The source added: ‘She’s going to be in a great mood because she will be in the spot she’s getting married in. So only good vibes should be around all night and if it benefits the Knicks and all the players, even better!’
The Knicks players weren’t the only ones who felt that Trump’s attendance changed the mood inside Madison Square Garden.
Rapper Cardi B, who performed at half-time during Game 3, later suggested that Trump brought a ‘bad energy’ to the NBA Finals.
Taking to her Instagram on Tuesday, she was asked whether Trump’s attendance was ‘bad luck’ for the New York team. She said: ‘It probably was. But it is what it is.
‘You can’t stop the president from f***ing going to a game. But it did feel a little dark in there.’ She continued: ‘You know how it felt like in there?
Halftime performer Cardi B suggested that Trump brought a ‘dark energy’ to MSG on Monday
NBA commissioner Adam Silver defended Trump’s attendance and hit back at criticism
‘It felt like the principal was there, and everybody had to be on their best behavior. But, nevertheless,’ she added.
The Spurs spoiled New York’s party plans on the night after winning 115-111 to leave the series poised at 2-1 to the Knicks ahead of Game 4 on Wednesday night. If the Knicks had won, another victory on Wednesday would have secured them the title.
When asked what he thought of the boos on the night, Trump said: ‘You mean when they had the camera on me? I thought it was very good, yeah.
‘It was certainly amazing. It was, I think, mostly cheers. It was loud and it was very enthusiastic.’
Meanwhile, NBA commissioner Adam Silver pushed back on criticism, stating that sport was an important way to bring people together and adding that Trump had been a Knicks fan all his life and attended many games over the years.
‘I found out because [Knicks owner] Jim Dolan invited [Trump] to the game and he said yes, and he’s welcome to be here. I think that’s what makes sports so special, especially when there’s so much that divides people,’ Silver told Ernie Johnson, host of the ESPN show Inside the NBA.
He added: ‘You guys remember when you played here back in the old days, he had courtside seats. He was here all the time… He’s a genuine Knicks fan. And so, yes, there’s some inconvenience to the fans, but looking around this arena, it’s packed.’
