Taylor Swift brought significantly better energy to Madison Square Garden, and for the Knicks, than the president did, fans have declared. And now, the legendary popstar is reacting to her new label as the team’s good luck charm.
On Wednesday night, Swift attended Game 4 of the finals, in which the Knicks made the biggest comeback in NBA history. The New York team beat the San Antonio Spurs in the last 1.2 seconds of the game, winning by one point.
Swift’s presence was highly lauded by fans. The Grammy-winning singer wore a custom “Stevie Knicks” T-shirt in bright blue and orange, designed by longtime friend Alana Haim, who also attended the game. Repping the team, Swift was an enthusiastic attendee throughout the game.
On the red carpet for the Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Gala, where Swift was being honored, the artist was captured being thanked by Universal Music’s Publishing President for the Knicks win.
“Oh my gosh. You know what? I did what I can,” replied the singer. “We just had to keep the energy up. Never a doubt.”
The billionaire pop star was a better omen for the game than the 79-year-old president, who attended Game 3 on Monday night when the Spurs broke the Knicks’ 13-game winning streak.
Swift cast her vote for Kamala Harris in the 2024 election after months of misinformation and speculation that the superstar would be voting for Trump. After Swift released a statement clarifying her political stance–and encouraging her fanbase to research the candidates–Trump retaliated with a Truth Social post. “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” he wrote. The president has frequently talked about Swift on social media and in interviews, in often unprompted rants.
Trump managed to come to Madison Square Garden despite skipping his own son’s wedding just days prior, citing the importance of ending the war in Iran and placing his focus there.
During the game, Trump was incessantly booed by fans whenever he appeared on the Jumbotron. The president, a New York native, was not well-received in the liberal-leaning city. He denied this fact later, telling reporters that the energy was “enthusiastic” and “amazing.”
Knicks fans insist that the president brought a “Trump curse” to the game, with many deciding to clear the Garden of its bad juju. Fans were caught on camera burning sage around the arena and cleansing the space of bad energy.
Famous Knicks fans shared the same sentiment. Saturday Night Live’s Michael Che blamed Trump for the loss, writing on Instagram, “Ya just haaaaaad to invite trumpty dumpty..”
Daily Show anchor Jon Stewart said similarly on his podcast, lamenting the loss and pointing fingers at the president. “We were on the craziest, high-vibed...we were on a run like no basketball team has ever been on. We hadn’t lost in over a month, and then he shows up...” said the host. “He put the maloik on us. That’s the hex.”
After Wednesday’s win, the Knicks are now one game away from the NBA title.
