At the U.S. Open on Sunday, President Donald Trump quickly emerged from a luxury box to greet a main court audience that was still primarily arriving for the men’s final. He received both applause and jeers.
Trump’s waves weren’t announced in advance, and Arthur Ashe Stadium was just half full. Additionally, they were short enough for some attendees to miss them.
Despite imposing high taxes on the home country of the Swiss watchmaker, the president attended as a guest of Rolex, and organizers aimed to prevent jeering of him from appearing on the television broadcast.
Instead of traveling to make policy announcements or speak at the kind of sizable rallies he so enjoyed as a candidate, Trump has centered the majority of his domestic travel during his second administration on visiting important sporting events.
The final between No. 1 seed and defending champion Jannik Sinner, 24, of Italy, and second-seeded Carlos Alcaraz, 22, of Spain, was postponed by 30 minutes due to additional security checks, meaning Trump arrived more than 45 minutes ahead of the new start time. Just a few weeks after the Trump administration levied a massive 39% tariff on Swiss goods, the president accepted Rolex’s offer while observing from the brand’s suite.
The tariff is over four times greater than that imposed on British exports to the United States and more than two and a half times higher than the one the Trump administration agreed to for goods from the European Union that are shipped to the United States. It has cast doubt on Switzerland’s capacity to compete with its neighboring 27-member bloc.
Trump has had little qualms about blending political and international policy decisions with attempts to increase the profitability of his family business, but the White House declined to comment on his acceptance of a corporate client’s invitation to the event.
