Amanda Marcotte: Trump knew he was going to be booed at the Knicks game. It's why he went!

[no_hypocrisy]

5. Maybe. There WAS a contingent that made it a point to demonstrate

how much they hate his guts.

As for Ms. Marcotte, in "professional" (fake) wrestling," there's a stalwart character called The Heel. A past heel, for example, was Karl Von Hess. His role was to antagonize the spectators and his opponent. They swore at him. Spit in his direction. Booed him. And he reveled in it. It was his job. Almost a template.

Because Trump loves professional (fake) wrestling, he too enjoys being hated, if only to mobilize his followers. When antagonists attack him, he deflects and tells his fans that they too are hated through association with him. And they love it.

Trump didn't necessarily attend the third game to be the heel. He's a classic jock sniffer. If the Knicks had won, he'd have taken credit for it by his mere presence. If not, well, he got his Zzzzzzzz and fries. No loss for him.