TORONTO — Before the Toronto Raptors’ game against the Los Angeles Clippers, fans loudly booed the start of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” continuing a trend that began on Saturday night.

Canadians are displeased with the actions of United States President Donald Trump, who placed 25-percent tariffs on Canada on Saturday.

With 15-year-old Kyra Daniel singing, fans booed the first third of the anthem. They applauded Daniel after she finished.

“Yeah, of course I noticed it,” said Raptors forward Garrett Temple, who is from Baton Rouge, La., and is also a vice president of the National Basketball Players Association. “The reaction (was), ‘Wow.’ And then you just think about why they’re booing. A lot of things bigger than basketball going on in the world right now. At the end of the day, we play in an arena that’s in Canada and they’re Canadian citizens, so they have a certain feeling about the trade situation going on, the tariffs. The people that booed let their thoughts be known.”

“Obviously it has an impact on a lot of people in this country and in this stadium,” added Raptors big man Kelly Olynyk, who grew up in Toronto and Kamloops, B.C. “It’s their opinion. I felt bad for the girl singing but they cheered her at the end, so I was happy for that, … It’s the state of the world right now.”

Raptors fans then sang “O Canada” louder than usual. In particular, there were notable cheers during the anthem’s lyrics referring to freedom.

Boos ringing out during the US national anthem here ahead of the Clippers-Raptors game pic.twitter.com/IPIDe93a0C

— Kayla Grey (@Kayla_Grey) February 2, 2025

Fans in Kanata, Ont., also booed “The Star-Spangled Banner” in advance of Saturday night’s game between the Ottawa Senators and Minnesota Wild.

On Saturday, President Trump hit Canada and Mexico with tariffs of 25 percent on all goods, with a small carveout for Canadian energy and oil experts. Trump talked about this possibility both before and after his inauguration, saying the move was intended to stop the flow of fentanyl and migrants into the United States. He has also referred to the possibility of Canada becoming “the 51st state” on his social media platform, Truth Social.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that in retaliation to the tariffs, Canada would place 25-percent tariffs on $20 billion worth of U.S. goods on Tuesday, with $85 billion more to follow in the weeks to come. Several provinces also took actions independent of the federal government, including Ontario Premier Doug Ford ordering the stoppage of sale of American liquor at the province’s stores.

LIVE: Canada’s response to U.S. tariffs | EN DIRECT : Réplique aux tarifs douaniers américains https://t.co/1R7HT03O9G

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) February 2, 2025

Olynyk, Temple and Raptors forward Chris Boucher all said they had never heard an anthem booed before.

(Photo: Frank Gunn / The Canadian Press via AP)