Trump and the US Open: the rise and fall of a transactional love match

Both parties entered into a relationship that boosted their profile in New York’s celebrity culture. But a parting of ways was inevitable

Donald Trump’s last trip to the US Open did not go as smoothly as his 2015 presidential campaign kickoff. Three months after that gold-plated escalator ride, Trump was booed upon arriving at the VIP entrance at Arthur Ashe Stadium and booed again when he was shown on the big screen during that night’s quarter-final match between Venus and Serena Williams. He hasn’t shown his face at Billie Jean National Tennis Center since.

Trump of course would be first to say he had more pressing matters to attend to over the past eight years. Currently, he’s facing four separate indictments related to his time as US president – not least 34 counts here in New York for alleged hush money payments to an adult film star. Perhaps Trump would never have sunk this low if he had stuck to his role as the US Open’s unofficial celebrity mascot instead of moving into politics. But that role also helped his late-stage career change. Nowadays, though, you’d be hard pressed to find any trace of the relationship around the US Open grounds. Trump doesn’t talk about his time here anymore. Neither does the USTA. It’s almost as if an affair that lasted nearly 40 years never happened.