White House Deletes Knicks Photo Following Mayoral Election

The Knicks' Reluctant Political Involvement

Mamdani notably pulled a similar gambit of his own mere weeks earlier when he attempted to incorporate Knicks branding into his self-advertising, only to be hit with a quick cease-and-desist from the organization, unwilling to associate themselves with his campaign.

The White House took the post down on the morning after Mamdani sewed the election up, but fans are still clamoring for Trump to be hit with the same warning that they greeted New York City's newly elected mayor with. According to reporting done by Front Office Sports' Margaret Fleming, the team had a role in the post's voluntary deletion, evidently having reached out in remaining adamant to stay out of the race.

“The Knicks remain neutral on political matters,” the team said in a statement provided to Front Office Sports. “We hope all our elected officials, whether current or recently elected, do a great job in office.”

This wouldn't be the first time that the Trump administration uses copyrighted material that requires permission to manipulate, a storyline that appeared repeatedly during his third and most-recent presidential run. Several times did songs he played during rallies and ads get flagged by their owners, who hit the candidate-turned-repeat winner with numerous lawsuit-backed letters of their own.

The franchise sustained as critical territory all throughout the heated election, with Mamdani returning to a Knicks game not long after the franchise requested that he not do what the White House just did. Cuomo and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams have been similarly spotted courtside, with the desire to captivate the "everyman" holding strong in one of the country's most powerful basketball cities.