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Podcaster Joe Rogan urged President Trump to “stick to the UFC” after Knicks fans booed the president at Game 3 of the NBA Finals – saying sports fanatics will “boo him everywhere else.”
During Game 3 Monday evening, the president – sitting in MSG boss James Dolan’s suite – was loudly booed by Knicks devotees while he was shown on the big screen during the national anthem, though there were also some chants of “USA! USA!” at another point.
“Yeah, he should stick to the UFC,” the host of “The Joe Rogan Experience” said. “They’re gonna boo him everywhere else.”
“I heard some people cheered. I heard it was like cheers and boos, but the problem is, if there’s cheers and any boos, if there’s like 50/50 – don’t go to that spot,” Rogan added, laughing.
“Go to the UFC. People say he got booed at the UFC. I’ve seen him at the UFC six times or something like that…Never get booed.”
Comedian Joey Diaz, who was a guest on the episode, added in agreement: “They love him.”
“He’s never gotten booed” at UFC events, Rogan continued. “They f–king cheer. The people that say they’re booing them, you’re distorting reality.”
The podcaster – who spoke with Trump during an hourslong episode of his show less than two weeks before the 2024 election – described the cheers that the president would get when he walked into UFC fights to Kid Rock’s “American Bad Ass.”
He said that when Trump attended fights alongside Kid Rock, Dana White and Tucker Carlson, “back when they were close,” it was like he had gathered “the conservative Avengers.”
Rogan and Diaz also discussed fans’ outrage over tightened security measures at Monday night’s game.
After Trump announced his plans to attend Game 3, the NYPD encouraged attendees to show up at least two hours before tip-off for screenings and cancelled a free watch party outside Madison Square Garden.
“People were so upset that Trump was gonna go to the NBA because if he’s there, then they have all these crazy security protocols. It makes the traffic even worse,” Rogan said.
Diaz added: “There was no parties. There was no nothing.”
Ahead of the game, some members of the media also argued that the president’s appearance could jinx the Knicks – who ultimately lost Game 3 to the San Antonio Spurs, 115 – 111 – and argued that neither Trump nor Mayor Zohran Mamdani should attend the game.
“He [Trump] was the kiss of death last night. I bet against the Knicks last night,” Diaz said.
The Knicks roared back Wednesday night with a stunning 107-106 Game 4 win over the Spurs, pulling off the biggest comeback in a single NBA Finals game in history.
They are headed back to San Antonio for Game 5 on Saturday with a commanding 3-1 series lead.
English (US)