The New York Knicks had won 13 straight playoff games before Donald Trump walked into Madison Square Garden.
One loss later, half of Hollywood is blaming the President of the United States for a basketball team's fourth-quarter shooting woes.
Here is what actually happened – and why Trump's response to Stephen A. Smith is the only thing worth talking about today.
What Cardi B Actually Said
After Monday's 115-111 Game 3 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, Cardi B went on Instagram Live and told her followers the arena felt "a little dark" with Trump in the building.
"It felt like the principal was there and everybody had to be on their best behavior," the Bronx-born rapper said.
She also performed at halftime.
So the same woman who took the MSG stage during a historic NBA Finals game used her post-game platform to suggest the president's presence was a supernatural obstacle for the home team.
The Knicks shot 2-for-12 from three-point range in the fourth quarter.
https://twitter.com/HustleBitch_/status/2064712564060065856?s=20
Victor Wembanyama scored 32 points.
De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle hit the free throws that sealed it.
But yes – dark energy.
Trump Made History and the Left Lost Their Minds
Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to attend an NBA Finals game Monday night, attending as the guest of Knicks owner James Dolan.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called Trump a "genuine Knicks fan" who was welcome, adding that sports are "something we have in common" when so much divides people.
The White House framed it the same way.
"Sports are at the forefront of American culture, and President Trump loves them as the people's president," White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said ahead of the game.
That was not enough for ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, who declared before tipoff that he would hold Trump personally responsible if the Knicks lost.
Trump waited until reporters caught him walking to Air Force One, then delivered a verdict clean enough to frame.
"I think he's a nice guy," Trump said. "But you need a certain aptitude to run for president. You need a high IQ. I'm not sure that Stephen has that. I don't think he does, actually."
https://twitter.com/nicksortor/status/2064158587329380846?s=20
Smith, who has floated a 2028 presidential run more than once, spent Tuesday morning on First Take accusing Trump of sleeping through the game and calling him a betrayer of New York City.
Trump had already moved on.
The Pattern the Left Cannot Explain Away
This is not the first time the media decided a Trump appearance caused a sports result.
At Super Bowl LIX in February 2025, Trump – the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl – watched the Kansas City Chiefs lose to the Philadelphia Eagles 40-22.
At the College Football Playoff National Championship in January 2026, he watched from a suite in Miami as Indiana beat Miami 27-21.
The "Trump Curse" narrative was trending before Game 3 ended.
Gavin Newsom posted about it.
CNN ran a data analyst to explain it.
The entire left-wing media apparatus treated a 4-point basketball loss as cosmic proof that the president is bad for America.
What they will not tell you: Wembanyama – a 7-foot-4 generational talent – had 32 points and the Spurs outshot New York 24-8 from the free throw line in the second half.
Accountability has never been the left's strong suit.
They Need the Curse to Be Real
When Trump appeared on the Jumbotron during the national anthem, the MSG crowd booed.
https://twitter.com/MarcoFoster_/status/2064445882620068295?s=20
Cardi B called it dark energy.
Stephen A. Smith called it bad juju.
Whoopi Goldberg – to her credit – pushed back, saying Trump earned the right as a Knicks fan to be there and that nothing could jinx the team.
Here is what nobody on CNN will say out loud: the left needs the Trump Curse to be real.
Because if Trump can show up to a basketball game, make history, get welcomed by the commissioner, and leave after torching Stephen A. Smith on the way to Air Force One – their entire argument falls apart.
They have spent ten years telling you he destroys everything he touches.
He just became the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game and handed the media three days of content they cannot stop talking about.
That is not a curse.
That is a man who lives rent-free in every room they enter – including Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks play Game 4 tonight.
Trump is not expected to attend.
If New York wins, nobody will credit the absence.
If they lose, you already know who gets the blame.
Sources:
- Amber Harding, "Cardi B claims Donald Trump's attendance brought a 'dark' energy to NBA Finals Game 3," OutKick, June 10, 2026.
- "Trump torches Stephen A Smith's presidential hopes after Knicks lose Game 3 with Trump at MSG," OutKick, June 9, 2026.
- "Donald Trump booed at Madison Square Garden as he makes history as first sitting president to attend NBA Finals game," Yahoo Sports, June 9, 2026.
- "Trump becomes first sitting president to attend NBA Finals game," ESPN, June 9, 2026.
- "Whoopi Goldberg tells audience not to blame Trump for Knicks loss, Hostin insists he brought 'bad juju,'" Fox News, June 10, 2026.
- "Trump curse? President's teams are 0-for-3 at big games," Washington Times, June 9, 2026.
