Whoopi Goldberg defends Trump attending Knicks NBA Finals game
Whoopi Goldberg defended President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on "The View" Monday, saying both men had earned a place at Madison Square Garden for Game 3 of the NBA Finals because they are longtime Knicks fans.
"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."
Goldberg pushed back after the show played clips of fans objecting to Trump and Mamdani attending Game 3.
"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."
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Goldberg opened by celebrating the Knicks' return home with a 2-0 Finals lead.
"Tonight, tonight, tonight! Come on, Knicks! Come on, Knicks! Come on, Knicks!" Goldberg said. "We earned this bad boy. We earned this!"
The show aired a clip of Trump saying Knicks owner James Dolan had 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."
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A clip played of one fan saying that both political figures should stay away.
"I think I speak for all New Yorkers when I say that Mayor Mamdani and President Trump, do not come to Madison Square Garden. We don’t want you," the fan said.
Goldberg rejected the idea that either figure could hurt the Knicks’ chances.
"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 Trump could face blame 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 before Sunny Hostin interjected, "The jinx!"
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Hostin argued Trump should not attend because he could bring "bad juju," while Goldberg said fans should stay focused.
"All we need to concentrate on is putting our energy and good energy towards them, towards the Knicks," Goldberg said. "That’s what this is about."
Trump is attending as Dolan’s guest, while Mamdani is expected to attend separately and has said he will not sit with the president.
The Knicks lead the Spurs 2-0 entering Game 3, the first NBA Finals game in New York since 1999. Security concerns around Trump’s attendance prompted officials to cancel a planned watch party outside Madison Square Garden and add enhanced screening for fans.