NEW YORK – Donald Trump’s first visit to the US Open since 2015 was when he won the same reception he came to as a civilian last time.
There are lots of boos.
Shortly shown on the Arthur Ash Stadium videoboard during the national anthem, Trump salutes and wryly smiles as he heard the jealous people from the New York crowd.
At that point, however, the stadium was only half full due to the huge line of additional security checks that formed when fans tried to enter the gate. The American Tennis Association pushed official opening times for games from 2pm to 2:30pm due to delayed entry, but by the time it started near 2:50pm there were still thousands of empty seats.
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Trump, who came as a guest in the Rolex-sponsored suite, was re-released after the first set. This time he looked straight with a confused expression, so for about 30 seconds he was booed louder.
By the start of the second set, the stadium was filled and looked like an open final crowd in the United States.
Trump was a frequent attendee here when he was a civilian living in New York. His final appearance came 10 years ago during his first presidential primary campaign. He was badly booed during the quarterfinal match between Venus and Serena Williams on the occasion.
After Trump’s appearance circulated, the tennis newsletter bounce reported that USTA sent an email to broadcasters including ESPN, asking them not to show any confusion or reactions when they attended.
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Trump is the first president to attend the US Open since Bill Clinton in 2000.
