‘Shutting down the fun’: AOC criticizes Trump’s NBA Finals visit, which prompted the cancellation of outdoor watch parties at MSG

The Knicks are doing well with a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals, but the buzz around Game 3 in Manhattan has hit a problem. President Donald Trump is set to attend the game on Monday, becoming the first sitting president to ever watch an NBA Finals game in person.

While the visit is a historic moment, it is creating real logistical problems for fans who hoped to watch the game outside Madison Square Garden. Thousands of supporters enjoyed outdoor watch parties for the first two games of the series. Those events are now off the table for Monday night. The cancellation comes down to the heavy security measures required for the presidential visit.

According to The Daily Mail, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke openly about the situation on her Instagram story. When a follower asked if the President’s attendance would ruin the mood, she replied, “It already has been! Now the city has to shut down all the watch parties outside of the arena, that have been the source of so much fun.”

AOC points to her own choices as a politician when weighing security against public access

She went on to say, “All of that is going to get shut down tomorrow because Trump wants to show up.” Drawing on her own experience as a politician, she said she has turned down event invites in the past to avoid disrupting things for other people. Critics of the administration have raised concerns in other areas too, including a whistleblower’s claims about immigration policy.

She explained, “Sometimes the accommodations that are required – [such as] the security for you to show up – are just not worth shutting down the fun for other people.” The situation has been confusing, with mixed messages between city officials and the arena. At first, an NYPD spokesperson suggested watch parties might still go ahead, only to have that reversed hours later.

The NYPD later confirmed in a statement, “There will be no watch party outside MSG. This decision was made in coordination with the Secret Service.” While MSG claimed the permit denial was not specifically about the President, the NYPD stood by its reasoning, pointing to the presidential visit as the main reason for the Game 3 restrictions.

The security setup for this event will be large. Hundreds of Secret Service agents and thousands of NYPD officers will be on the ground. There will be a tight lockdown around the arena, with entire city blocks in Midtown Manhattan closed off. The Seventh and Eighth Avenue corridors will be shut down to both vehicles and pedestrians, making that part of the city very hard to get through.

Fans with tickets should be ready for a strict entry process. Security checkpoints are set to open at 6:30 PM, two hours before the 8:30 PM tipoff. Officials advise arriving early to handle the expected lines. The President has drawn attention for his statements on other matters too, including his recent remarks about Iran’s military.

Fans are also told to leave their bags at home. Purses, backpacks, and totes of any size are banned, and anyone who brings one will be turned away. Officials have said they expect watch parties to resume for Game 4.