Hochul booed by Ryder Cup crowd during opening ceremony on Long Island

New York Governor Kathy Hochul was met with loud boos when she appeared on screen during the Ryder Cup opening ceremony at Bethpage Black on Long Island on Thursday, as spectators reacted to her status as a prominent critic of former President Donald Trump. The moment came as the biennial golf competition kicked off in the evening, drawing fans from across the region to Long Island’s famed course and spotlighting a rare intersection of politics and sport.

During the televised welcome, host Carson Daly introduced Hochul from the dais on the stage, saying, "Your friend and mine, Governor Kathy Hochul." The room’s response featured sustained jeers and whistles as the camera cut to Hochul seated among the crowd, a moment that underscored the political tensions surrounding Trump and his opponents in a national spotlight event.

Hochul’s appearance and the reaction come amid a broader political backdrop. Earlier this year, Hochul spoke with NPR and said she would be "leading the resistance" against a second Trump administration, signaling that she intends to oppose policies she views as harmful to New Yorkers. The remarks followed Trump’s online post in which he mocked New York’s congestion-pricing plan, declaring that congestion pricing was dead and that Manhattan, and all of New York, was "saved" after his message. Hochul has since said she would pursue collaborative infrastructure projects with any administration that would advance New York’s transit and economy, including efforts to modernize Penn Station and related transportation networks.

To Hochul, those infrastructure discussions are a test of governance versus partisan rhetoric. In the NPR interview, she described the decision as a choice between cooperation and confrontation: "I will be leading the resistance on policies like these where you’re hurting New Yorkers directly. This is our decision, not yours." The remarks highlighted a persistent fault line in New York politics between the state’s Democratic leadership and Trump’s base, a dynamic that has continued to play out across multiple public forums.

The Ryder Cup ceremony is traditionally a ceremonial, unifying moment for a multinational sporting event, but the scene at Bethpage Black demonstrated how national political disputes can permeate even major sporting spectacles. Event organizers and broadcasters sought to manage the moment as part of the broader broadcast, while security and crowd management teams balanced celebratory energy with the heightened sensitivity around politically charged appearances. Organizers did not offer additional comment on Hochul’s reception, focusing instead on the two days of competition that followed the opening.

Observers described the incident as emblematic of a broader era in which politics and sports increasingly intersect in public life. While the Ryder Cup itself continued with its schedule of matches and side events, the televised moment served as a reminder that political affiliations can shape audience reactions even at events marketed for international camaraderie and competition. For Hochul, the episode is likely to be cited in discussions about political risk and visibility as she navigates a year that includes national attention on issues ranging from infrastructure to public safety and the economy.