Whoopi Goldberg tells fans not to blame Trump for Knicks NBA Finals loss

“The View” co-host Whoopi Goldberg chastised her audience on Tuesday for blaming the Knicks’ loss on President Donald Trump’s attendance at the game.

The New York Knicks hosted their first NBA Finals game since 1999 on Monday night after winning the first two games against the San Antonio Spurs on the road. Trump, a native New Yorker and longtime Knicks fan, was invited to attend the game at Madison Square Garden by team owner James Dolan.  

The Spurs came away with a 115-111 win, and some unruly Knicks fans took out their frustrations in the streets while others blamed the loss on Trump.

“A lot of Knicks fans are not happy with you-know-who right now,” Goldberg said, referring to the president. 

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Whoopi Goldberg chastised her audience and co-panelist for blaming the Knicks’ loss on President Donald Trump, arguing instead, “They were not playing great ball. That was on us.” (Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival)

She first noted how the heightened security around Trump’s visit impacted the city.

“He came into town, messed up everything, you couldn’t go — you couldn’t make a left,” Goldberg said. “You couldn’t make a right. Couldn’t go across the street. You couldn’t buy anything.”

“This man comes in, and he’s a fan, OK, but my goodness!” she continued. “And they are blaming him for ending the Knicks’ winning streak last night.”

Many members of the audience cheered that line, but Goldberg warned that they should blame the team, not Trump.

“No, no, no, now, come on now. They were not playing great ball. That was on us,” she said. “I have to just reiterate the fact that this man does not have that kind of power. We have to remind people. He doesn’t have the power.”

Co-host Sunny Hostin responded by making a face, to which Goldberg immediately responded, “I see your face, and I know how you feel, and you can say what you want. But by saying that it’s his fault that we lost means that there’s no responsibility taken. These guys were not playing at their best.”

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Co-host Sunny Hostin argued that President Donald Trump brought “bad juju” and “bad karma” to the Knicks game he attended. (Gary Gershoff/Getty Images)

Despite Goldberg’s rejection of the idea that Trump had anything to do with the Knicks’ loss, Hostin later declared, “For me, what is also in play is that we had an impeccable vibe in New York until the orange man showed up and put the bad juju on the Madison Square Garden, now we’re going to have to go in to sage Madison Square Garden to get all the bad juju out.”

She then blasted Trump for how expensive it was to secure the stadium and him getting booed by the crowd, declaring, “Don’t bring your bad karma vibe to New York!”

Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin argued that it is a bad idea for any president to attend a game during a winning streak like this, noting they will be blamed for any loss. That said, she did give him credit for being a longtime fan even when the team was not doing well.

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President Donald Trump watches before Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York City on June 8, 2026. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

On Monday, Goldberg defended the right of both Trump and Mayor Zohran Mamdani to attend the game.

“I think anybody who’s a Knicks fan should be there,” she said. “You earned the right as a Knicks fan. I don’t have to like you.”

“I’m sorry. Trump and Mayor Mamdani are Knicks fans and have been, they’re New Yorkers,” Goldberg added. “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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Outkick’s Mark Harris contributed to this report.