President Donald Trump’s presence at the US Open has sparked a massive security sweep as preparations were made for a possible nerve agent threat, according to a source.
The Republican, 79, is set to attend the US Open at 2pm Sunday – the first time he’s done so since 2015.
Ahead of the president’s appearance, a US Open insider told the Daily Mail that nerve agents and chemical weapons were among a raft of potential threats at Flushing Meadows.
‘We’ve been scoping out the area with our colleagues in the CIA and taking precautions in the event of an attack using chemical weapons or nerve agents,’ he said.
The preparations are precautionary and are not understood to relate to any specific threat made against the commander-in-chief.
Trump – who was last met with a chorus of boos at the tennis tournament in majority-Democrat New York a decade ago – will watch the US Open men’s singles final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Aclaraz.
On the eve of the match, the United States Tennis Association sent out an email to broadcasters, such as ESPN and Sky Sports, stating that broadcasters must censor any protests or reactions to Trump’s attendance.
‘With respect to Broadcast Coverage, the President will be shown on the World Feed and the Ashe Court Feed during the opening anthem ceremony,’ the email stated.
‘We ask all broadcasters to refrain from showcasing any disruptions or reactions in response to the President’s attendance in any capacity.’
The president was not invited to the weekend match by the tournament itself, but as the guest of Rolex, the Swiss luxury watch brand and major sponsor.
Spanish star Alcaraz has already spoken about Trump’s plans to watch the final.
‘It is a privilege for the tournaments having the president from every country… to support the tournament, to support tennis, and to support the match,’ he initially told reporters when quizzed about Trump after his win over Novak Djokovic.
‘For me, playing in front of him… to be honest, I will try not to think about it. I don’t want… to be nervous because of it.
‘But I think… it’s great for tennis to have the president into the final.’
Trump has made sports a huge part of his second term as President, with Sunday’s tennis showpiece the second big event in New York he is expected to attend in the coming days.
After the US Open final, he is expected to head to Yankee Stadium on September 11, the anniversary of the attack on the city.
That night, the playoff-chasing New York Yankees will host the Detroit Tigers, one of the best teams in baseball this season, in the Bronx.
Trump has also confirmed that he will be at the first day of the Ryder Cup on September 26 at Bethpage in New York.
He was also spotted at the FIFA Club World Cup final at MetLife Stadium, just outside of the Big Apple, in July.
The president also attended the Super Bowl earlier this year as the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Controversy followed his presence there as some claimed that boos were edited out of live Fox coverage of the football games.
Meanwhile, Trump supporters have accused networks of deliberately limiting Trump’s airtime during major sporting events, such as college football games.
His expected appearance at the tennis match comes just about a week after rumors surfaced online speculating the president was ill or even deceased.
Claims about Trump’s health began to swirl after several White House reporters noted the president had not been seen in public since a marathon cabinet meeting on August 26.
People also noted he had no events scheduled all weekend, despite Labor Day taking place right after.
Bogus conspiracy theories started circulating online claiming that the President was sick or even died – with the hashtag ‘#whereistrump’ going viral just days after he was last seen.
And the unfounded rumors went into overdrive after Vice President JD Vance told USA Today he was ready to step in for Trump ‘if there’s a terrible tragedy.’
The rumors were also fanned by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who asked people to pray for Trump as he claimed without evidence, that the president was in a ‘health crisis,’ and looked like he was about to ‘collapse.’
But Trump defied the claims after he was spotted heading out for the golf course over the weekend with his granddaughter Kai Trump and also by himself.
