President Donald Trump’s attendance at high-stakes New York sporting events points to a losing pattern, CNN data guru Harry Enten suggested.
Ahead of the New York Knicks’ brutal loss to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Enten explained how Trump’s presence at decisive games appears to be the kiss of death to their run.
Before Trump showed up to Madison Square Garden, the Knicks hadn’t lost in 46 days, having won 13 games in a row. But instead of going 3-0 in the Finals, the president watched his hometown team lose for the first time since April.
Enten reminded New Yorkers that Trump was also in attendance for the New York Mets’ heartbreaking playoff loss in 2006.
“I would just say, as a born-and-bred New Yorker, I was in my childhood, a big New York Mets fan. Of course, they play in Queens. This is where Donald Trump is from,” he said on CNN’s The Source.
Enten explained that the “best chance the Mets ever had to win a World Series” in his lifetime was in 2026, but Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS ended in heartbreak as Carlos Beltran struck out at the bottom of the ninth inning, crushing the team’s hopes of a championship ring.
“There is this infamous photo….And what is the photo? Who’s in the background of that photo? No other than Donald John Trump looking down in maybe the exact same suit he is wearing tonight,” Enten said.
“If they don’t win, I tell you, the New York Knickerbocker fans are gonna hold it against them forever,” he added.
The Mets lost the game to the St. Louis Cardinals, who would later win the World Series that year.
Many Knicks fans and commentators have also said that Trump’s presence at the Garden, where he was met with thunderous boos, was a “curse” on the team.
Sports commentator Stephen A. Smith called Trump’s trip to the game “selfish” ahead of the Monday night loss.
“If they lose tonight? I’m looking right at him. I’m blaming him. I’m blaming the president of the United States of America if the New York Knicks lose this tonight,” he said, adding “This is about an individual engaging in a level of narcissism that really rakes my freakin’ nerves.”
Saturday Night Live’s Michael Che, a Knicks fan, also pointed to Trump as being part of the reason the team lost, posting on Instagram, “Ya just haaaaaad to invite trumpty dumpty..”
