A chaotic scene unfolded on June 8, 2026, at Madison Square Garden when President Donald Trump botched basic protocol during “The Star-Spangled Banner” before Game 3 of the NBA Finals, standing motionless with his hands at his sides as those around him — including his 19-year-old granddaughter Kai Trump and cabinet officials — placed their right hands over their hearts.
The president, 80 as of June 14, eventually lifted his hand in a military salute once the camera panned to him, then followed up with a fist pump. The crowd responded with sustained booing that grew louder as Broadway star Avery Wilson completed the anthem. Trump became the first sitting president ever to attend an NBA Finals game, watching the New York Knicks fall 115-111 to the San Antonio Spurs in a loss that ended a 13-game winning streak. Some fans were quick to blame the loss on Trump’s presence at the game.
What the Flag Code Actually Says
Federal law under 36 U.S. Code § 301 is clear about proper anthem conduct. The U.S. Flag Code states that “individuals in uniform should give the military salute at the first note of the anthem and maintain that position until the last note.” For everyone else, the code specifies 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.”
Trump has never served in the armed forces. During the Vietnam War, he received four education deferments and one medical deferment for bone spurs in 1968, avoiding the draft five times. Despite this, he has made a habit of saluting during the anthem at events including the Army-Navy football game, his inauguration proceedings in January 2025, and a church service at Washington National Cathedral.
While the Flag Code is never enforced and carries no punishment for violations, the optics are significant — especially for a president who has built much of his political brand on criticizing NFL players who knelt during the anthem and positioning himself as the chief defender of patriotic ritual.
A Jumbotron Moment Gone Wrong
Trump appeared on the arena’s Jumbotron after Wilson had already begun singing. The moment his image flashed across the giant screen, boos erupted throughout Madison Square Garden. Trump smiled, his hand casting a shadow over his face, but remained motionless without his hand over his heart as Wilson progressed through the first stanza.
His arrival at the venue had already caused major headaches for fans trying to enter, with security measures snarling traffic outside one of the most famous venues in sports. The president — who officially left New York City for Palm Beach years ago — received the kind of reception New Yorkers reserve for visiting villains. He arrived at the arena with an entourage that included Kai Trump and several members of his cabinet.
A Pattern of Hostile Welcomes
The June 8, 2026, incident was not Trump’s first time being jeered at a New York sporting event. At a New York Yankees game at Yankee Stadium in September 2025, he drew a mixed reaction of boos and cheers while again opting for a salute instead of the hand-over-heart gesture.
Anthem trouble has followed Trump 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. 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 drew a mixed reaction of cheers and boos.
His anthem habits have invited comparisons to other presidents. During the 2008 election campaign, Barack Obama famously neglected to put his hand over his heart, 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
Asked by reporters what he made of the hostile reception, Trump dismissed the criticism. “I thought it was amazing, actually,” he said. “It was, I think, mostly cheers. It was loud, and it was very enthusiastic.” 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.
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.
The moment took on a new dimension when Kai Trump posted a video on Instagram thanking an app called 15 Seconds of Fame for “capturing this special moment.” Viewers noted the audio appeared to replace the arena’s boos with generic cheers, with the anthem itself absent. The app, which uses facial recognition to create personalized game-day clips, was cited by a Page Six report as the source of the edit, not Kai — an ironic coda to an already chaotic evening.
