Whoopi Goldberg defended President Donald Trump attending Game 3 of the NBA Finals to see the New York Knicks square off against the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden.
Goldberg responded to criticism of the president during a segment on The View on Monday, defending Trump’s attendance as a lifelong Knicks fan.
“I think anybody who’s a Knicks fan should be there,” Goldberg said. “You earned the right as a Knicks fan. I don’t have to like you.”
After the show played clips of fans objecting to Trump and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani attending the game, Goldberg noted that they have always been Knicks fans.
“I’m sorry. Trump and Mayor Mamdani are Knicks fans and have been, they’re New Yorkers,” Goldberg said. “And … there’s nothing either one of them can do to change what’s happening in this city for this team.”
The president said he attended the Knicks game after the team owner, James Dolan, invited him.
“I’ve been a Knicks fan for a long time and also a Jim Dolan fan,” Trump said. “He’s a nice guy. The answer is, yes, he’s invited me, and I’m going.”
As to whether or not the president could “jinx” the game, Goldberg rejected that.
“You know what, I don’t think anything can jinx anything,” Goldberg said. “I think these guys are on a mission.”
Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin said some superstitious fans would see things differently if the Knicks lost.
“If I were advising him, I would be like, do not go, because if they lose tonight, everybody is going to —” Farah Griffin said as Hostin interjected, “The jinx!”
Unfortunately, the Knicks did lose to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night, prompting some fans on social media to say that Trump jinxed the team.
In May, Trump told the Post that he had been invited to the Eastern Conference Finals.
“I was invited to. I was going to go on Wednesday, but they closed it out very quickly. They’re great, and Jim Dolan’s a great guy — he’s, as you know, owns and in charge of Madison Square Garden. He’s having a good year,” Trump said.
“Boy, what a team! They win all their games. They really have some great players. I think I’ll be going to one of the games, yeah. I was invited by numerous people, and Jim, and I think it’s great. Great to see it. The Knicks have really, they’ve really suffered for years and they’re doing right now very well,” he added.
In 2025, Trump became the first sitting president to attend the Super Bowl when the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.