Donald Trump Comes to James Dolan and Knicks’ Rescue as $7BN Power Move Ends Demand for Massive Change

It finally happened. Just when it looked like James Dolan’s grip on Madison Square Garden might finally loosen — with city regulators circling and pressure mounting to relocate — an unlikely savior rode in. Not just any savior: Donald J. Trump. Yup, the President.

With a $7 billion federal takeover of the Penn Station renovation, Trump handed Dolan exactly what he needed — an escape hatch. And with that move, any real shot at moving MSG, fixing Penn Station, or holding Dolan accountable? Gone. Just like that. Here’s the play-by-play.

Dolan was running out of time. And he knew it. MSG’s 10-year operating permit — granted in 2013 under one big condition: move or lose it — was set to expire. City officials, urban planners, and frustrated commuters all saw the moment as a once-in-a-generation chance to finally do what should’ve happened decades ago: relocate The Garden.

The current location? It’s a logistical nightmare. Penn Station — the busiest train station in America (I mean, a daily average of around 600,000 passenger entries and exits) — sits directly underneath MSG. And because of that, the station can’t expand, can’t modernize, can’t even breathe. The ceilings leak. The corridors reek. It’s barely functional.

So, a bold plan emerged: demolish the dilapidated Hotel Pennsylvania across the street and build a new MSG from scratch. A sparkling new arena, a grand park on top of a revamped station, double the train capacity. The vision had support. Councilman Erik Bottcher backed it. Architect Alexandros Washburn said what fans had been screaming for years: “It’s very difficult to fix Penn Station with the Garden sitting on top of it.”

Dolan hated the idea. Why? Because moving MSG meant one thing: losing control. It would mean:

• Losing the leverage that comes from sitting on top of the country’s busiest transit hub.
• Losing his $43 million-a-year property tax exemption — a financial sweetheart deal MSG has enjoyed for decades.
• And worst of all, losing the symbolic power of owning the iconic arena, right in the city’s beating heart.

For Dolan, MSG isn’t just an arena. It’s a fortress of influence. Sitting atop Penn Station gives him more than real estate — it gives him power over any plan involving the city’s busiest transportation hub. So relocating would mean letting go of the chokehold he’s had on every redevelopment conversation in Midtown for the past decade.

He stalled. He delayed. He ignored calls to relocate. City lawmakers gave him a decade to find a new home — he didn’t budge. Instead, he banked on chaos. And then?

Then…Trump stepped in.

His Department of Transportation, now under Secretary Sean Duffy, yanked control of the project from the MTA and handed it to Amtrak and private developers, per The New York Times. A $7 billion pledge, a shiny promise of a grand new Penn Station “that reflects America’s greatness,” and—poof—MSG’s relocation was wiped off the map. Suddenly, no one was talking about moving the Garden. Not the feds, not the city, not even Governor Hochul, who had previously vowed to “fix Penn Station now.”

The betrayal hit different. It wasn’t just a lifeline — it was a middle finger to every Knicks fan who dared to dream of something better. The announcement should’ve been a gut punch for Dolan. Instead, it was a victory lap. Gone were the public hearings, the pressure, the relocation demands. Dolan won — again.

MSG stands for My Stage, Governor—because at this point, it’s just Dolan’s playground

And boy, did he flex.

Remember the facial recognition fiasco? MSG used it to ban lawyers from entering — even if they weren’t involved in lawsuits against the Garden. A mom taking her daughter’s Girl Scout troop to the Rockettes was booted. Another woman had her ticket scanned, only to be flagged at the door.

The State Liquor Authority started investigating. So what did Dolan do? He went on Fox 5, held up a flier with the SLA chief’s face and contact info, and told fans to call him. Then came the threat: he’d pick a Rangers game and cut off liquor sales entirely. In fact, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Let’s look at Nolan’s greatest hits (in no particular order, of course):

• Banned Knicks legend Charles Oakley from MSG.
• Sued NYC’s Landmarks Commission. Twice.
• Blamed fans and the media for years of team dysfunction.
• Prioritized performances by his own band, JD & The Straight Shot, over other artists.
• Installed facial recognition to blacklist critics.

Most owners would’ve issued an apology after all these controversies. But Dolan? Nah, he’s different.

And now, with Trump stepping in, he doesn’t even need the city’s permission to keep operating. No permit fights. No relocation threats. No consequences. Meanwhile, serious plans like the Grand Penn proposal — which would’ve brought a massive new train hall, public green space, and doubled train capacity — are collecting dust. Vornado Realty, which owns the proposed site for the new MSG, was ready to make a deal. But Dolan’s not moving.

Why would he? The rats, the crumbling concourses, the leaking ceilings of Penn Station? That’s still the commute. That’s still the fan experience. MSG’s shadow — quite literally — remains. And folks, this is not all. Dolan’s swinging at the NBA, too.

He wants receipts — and not just for beer sales. Dolan is demanding full financial transparency from the league. A resolution he pushed ahead of the Board of Governors meeting would require the NBA to zero-base their budgeting: every dollar, every department, every headcount accounted for. He wants granular breakdowns of league costs. Basically, he’s auditing the auditors.

This isn’t new. Dolan already refused to vote on the 2024–25 budget. He quit the advisory and media committees. He told the league, “Given all that has occurred lately, I have come to the conclusion that the NBA neither needs nor wants my opinion.”

Cool. But then… why keep shouting? He has beef with literally everyone. With Commissioner Adam Silver. With Raptors owner Larry Tanenbaum. With the entire league office. That Knicks-Raptors lawsuit over stolen scouting data? That wasn’t just legal posturing — that was billionaire ego warfare.

Fans saw through it. “If this was coming from anyone but Dolan,” one Redditor said, “I’d be inclined to think there might be a good reason for it. But Dolan? Just makes you wonder what the f— he’s playing at and who he wants to screw next.”

Another added: “He wants to find out why the NBA has never asked JD & The Straight Shot to perform at a game.”

This was supposed to be the moment Dolan finally got boxed in. That The Garden might move. That Penn Station — and maybe even the Knicks — could finally get a clean slate. Instead, Dolan got everything he wanted. MSG stays. The feds pay. The Garden keeps casting its shadow over the dirtiest train station in America.

And Knicks fans? We keep hoping in the dark.