Trump: I should have left UCLA basketball players in jail

[DonViejo]

Source: The Hill




BY BRETT SAMUELS - 11/19/17 12:57 PM EST

President Trump on Sunday lashed out at the father of a UCLA basketball player who downplayed Trump’s importance in getting his son released from shoplifting charges in China.

Link to tweet

LaVar's son, LiAngelo, and two other players were arrested and accused of shoplifting from a Louis Vuitton store while the UCLA basketball team was on a trip to China for its season-opening game.

The players faced potential jail sentences for the charge, but Trump reportedly spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping about resolving the situation. The players were released, and landed in the United States last week.

Trump took credit for their release, and questioned in a tweet whether the players would thank him.

Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/361110-trump-i-should-have-left-ucla-basketball-players-in-jail

[PatSeg]

1. What an asshole!

[jpak]

33. + a million

and beat me to it.

[PatSeg]

69. It wasn't a very profound statement

But I just had to say it. This past year, I've used that word more than in my entire life. I've run out of adequate adjectives and nouns with this creep. They all feel like understatements!

[GeorgeGist]

39. which one?

[montanacowboy]

2. When is Enough Enough?

This SOB piece of filth sick MFer
I never thought I could hate someone so much

[Cracklin Charlie]

16. The karma buildup is astounding.

He will get his comeuppance.

[Irish_Dem]

3. Even when he does something good, he has to ruin it. nt

[rogue emissary]

5. +1

[ATL Ebony]

41. That's because he never does good for anyone except himself --

including helping get the ball players home. It was all for his ego/image and fake appearance of being a good guy. Otherwise he wouldn't have had the need to publicly broadcast the deed nor goad them into giving "thanks" to him.

[Irish_Dem]

45. Absolutely. Just a PR stunt to make himself look good.

So when he got dissed by the dad he was pissed.

[ATL Ebony]

55. Exactly.

[Scarsdale]

60. He has no idea

how a REAL president acts. President Obama would have been a fine example for him to follow, but hey - when you are Donald tRump it does not matter how you act. Did anyone here expect something different from this poor excuse for a human being?

[Not Ruth]

4. The son seems pleased not to be in jail, dad does not really make sense but he is protecting his son

Though dad does seem to say that his son was guilty.

I think that the kids should go back and do community service in China.

The president was apparently responding to LaVar Ball's comments to ESPN playing down his son's shoplifting incident in China and Trump's involvement in getting his son and two other UCLA players back to the United States last week.

"Who?" Ball told ESPN, when asked about Trump's involvement in the matter. "What was he over there for? Don't tell me nothing. Everybody wants to make it seem like he helped me out."

UCLA freshmen LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill, who had been detained in China, landed in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening and addressed the media on Wednesday before being indefinitely suspended by the team.

LiAngelo Ball said at that time that he "didn't exercise my best judgment," adding, "I've learned my lesson."

The freshman player also thanked Trump and the U.S. government for helping and said he takes "full responsibility" for his actions.

Trump, who returned late Tuesday from a trip through Asia, said he had raised the issue of the three players with President Xi Jinping of China during a visit to Beijing last week.

The players had been questioned last week about allegedly stealing from three high-end stores, including sunglasses from a Louis Vuitton store next to the team's hotel in Hangzhou, where the Bruins had been staying before leaving for Shanghai to face Georgia Tech on Friday.

They were released on bail early Nov. 8 and had been staying at a lakeside hotel in Hangzhou prior to flying home.

"As long as my boy's back here, I'm fine," LaVar Ball told ESPN. "I'm happy with how things were handled. A lot of people like to say a lot of things that they thought happened over there. Like I told him, 'They try to make a big deal out of nothing sometimes.' I'm from L.A. I've seen a lot worse things happen than a guy taking some glasses. My son has built up enough character that one bad decision doesn't define him. Now if you can go back and say when he was 12 years old he was shoplifting and stealing cars and going wild, then that's a different thing."

"Everybody gets stuck on the negativity of some things and they get stuck on them too long," LaVar Ball said. "That's not me. I handle what's going on and then we go from there."

On Saturday, Trump's social media director, Dan Scavino, weighed in, tweeting that Lavar Ball "knows if it weren't for President@realDonaldTrump his son would be in China for a long, long time."

[Dreamer Tatum]

10. The father and Trump are, essentially, the same person. nt

[George II]

40. Was going to say that when I saw this. Yes, with respect to intellect, ethics, morals they're equal

[oberliner]

6. They all thanked him

In a press conference.

[Irish_Dem]

7. So why is he pissed off at them? I cannot make sense of it. nt

[oberliner]

8. The father of one of them said mean things about Trump

On NBC News.

[Irish_Dem]

11. Oh I missed that. Trump sure gets his news fast and reacts right away.

I cannot keep up half the time.

So Trump gets this guy's kid out of a China prison, and he mouths off at Trump?
Not so smart is he.

[oberliner]

19. LaVar Ball, father of UCLA player arrested in China, dismisses Trumps role in release

When asked by ESPN what role the president played in brokering his son's freedom, LaVar Ball — a former basketball player himself and star on the Facebook reality series "Ball in the Family" — responded with his own questions.

"Who? What was he over there for? Don't tell me nothing," Ball said. "Everybody wants to make it seem like he helped me out."

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/lavar-ball-father-ucla-player-arrested-china-dismisses-trump-s-n822086

[Irish_Dem]

24. Many thanks for posting this. Now I get it.

Everybody should just keep their mouths shut before they piss off the Chinese even more.

[Kablooie]

9. If they shoplifted in China Trump shouldn't have interfered anyway.

They committed a crime so should have suffered the consequences.

He's an ass any way you look at it.

[Not Ruth]

13. It might have been the best thing for them to go to trial in China

Educational experience, you do not learn everything in a classroom or on a basketball court

[Lucky Luciano]

65. 3-10!years with a 99% conviction rate didnt bode well.

It is overly harsh, but that’s China. They are very lucky to be back home.

[Chemisse]

62. Some countries are more harsh with their punishments than what we would feel to be fair.

The youths are lucky they were spared. They should have thanked Trump, and they did. It's not their fault that Trump and one of the dads acted like assholes about the whole thing.

Would you say the same if the punishment was to cut off the offending hand? I believe some nations still do that.

[Not Ruth]

70. It is tone deaf to judge other cultures by our own

[Chemisse]

77. Seriously? And where exactly did I judge other cultures?

By saying that some nations would deal with theft more harshly than we would? That's just a fact. Perhaps you read judgement into my comment. It's not my concern what other countries do (at least to a degree), as long as I don't have a child overseas, facing what we believe in this country to be harsh punishment.

[Canoe52]

12. Isnt it refreshing to have such a petty, childish president.

Makes me so nostalgic for when my kids were young and going through the terrible twos.

[LakeArenal]

37. My thoughts exactly...

Begging for praise turns people off and they comment negatively...

Dump just can't be the bigger person.. Ever.. So high school...

[magicarpet]

61. High school.... You give him too much credit...

..... more like pre-school or infantile day care.

[LakeArenal]

64. But ... but...

He's so Pre-frat boy....

[magicarpet]

76. He must have been a repulsive, stuckup, my shit don't...

.... stink, don't talk to me unless your father is equally as rich as my Daddy is - sort of nose high up in the air frat boy.

A petulant little puke.

[steve2470]

49. yep you nailed it! nt

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

14. He wanted groveling praise and adoration, not just thanks.

The players themselves did thank him, but apparently the father of one of them didn't offer the sort of praise many people reserve for God at Christmas.

He's like the Red Queen: "Off with their heads!"

[3catwoman3]

57. "He's like the Red Queen."

That is EXACTLY what he is like.

Instead of the Ace of Hearts, we can call hin the Ass of Hearts.

[FakeNoose]

71. So now, nobody in Los Angeles will EVER vote for him

What an asshole!

[world wide wally]

15. Show some respect!

The most glorious King of the world has spoken!


I never realized he was also the Supreme Boss of Chinese prisons as well.

[Botany]

17. What is wrong w/that man?

[sarge43]

53. There aren't enough electrons in the space/time thingy to answer that question.

It'd be easier to list what's right about him.

(cue crickets)

[Ccarmona]

18. What Do You Expect

you have an egomaniac, grandstanding Father and a egomaniac, grandstanding childlike President

[grandpamike1]

20. What you actually did

Was give China, all of Asia and Europe by dropping out of TPP. China will forever be grateful to you, unfortunately, Americans won't.

[C Moon]

21. So exactly what is Trump being paid for? He's certainly not trying to run a country.

[Cattledog]

22. They never were in jail. They were confined to their hotel rooms.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

23. If my memory serves me right......

UCLA removed these players from the team permanently for this as punishment.

Had they remained in a Chinese jail, they would have been tortured to death and starved. With a depleted State Department, there would have been no hope of getting them out alive. The Chinese do not tolerate the slightest infraction to their porcelain exterior.

[MichMan]

26. LarVar Ball is one of the few that acts just as stupid as Trump does

They are both flaming idiots

[maxrandb]

31. I thought your post said Lavar Ball was part of the final act

And thought you were talking about America. Sometimes it feels like we are in our final act as a country

[JI7]

43. It's unlikely they would have ended up in China for long

Just because of what the basketball orgs in the US could do . And the sport is popular in china.

[FSogol]

75. Agreed, but surprised it didn't get swept under the rug quicker. What college team will travel to

China for sports now?

[defacto7]

25. With Trump it's never about ethics or goodwill

It's only about his own exaltation. Hail Donald Rex is all he wants.

[Cartoonist]

27. Unanswered question

What did Trump give the Chinese in return?

[rurallib]

28. When Trump's in jail, I hope the UCLA basketball team doesn't

try to get him out.

[Paladin]

29. trump vs. LaVar Ball? Shit, I'll buy tickets to that one. (nt)

[BadGimp]

30. This is unconscionable behavior to a sitting POTUS.

You think words like this if you're the POTUS, but you never speak them out loud.

[C_U_L8R]

32. Grow up, Donald.

[MichMan]

34. LaVar Ball is a real piece of work too

On March 13, 2017, Ball said in an interview with Josh Peter of USA Today: "Back in my heyday, I would kill Michael Jordan one-on-one," saying Jordan could only foul him if he did a jump hook, that Jordan couldn't stop him one-on-one, that Jordan was slower. Ball was widely mocked for making the statement despite having averaged only 2.2 points per game while playing basketball at Washington State

On March 25, 2017, despite LaVar's November 2016 prediction that UCLA would win the NCAA championship, the team lost to Kentucky in the Sweet 16 round of the tournament, with Lonzo pulling a hamstring.Weeks after the loss, Ball said, "Realistically you can't win no championship with three white guys because the foot speed is too slow. I told Lonzo: 'One of these games you might need to go for 30 or 40 points.' It turned out that was the one game. Then once they get to the Elite 8, they're right there."

Ball drew further criticism for sexism as the coach of the Big Baller Brand Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team on July 28, 2017 at the Adidas Summer Championships in Las Vegas, after having a female referee who gave him a technical foul be replaced. After being called for the foul, Ball asked Adidas tournament organizers to replace the referee, who he had argued with on previous occasions, and then threatened to pull his team from the game if they did not comply.Adidas soon replaced the official with a male counterpart, but Ball was assessed a second technical foul later in the game, resulting in his ejection and an early end to the game. Following the incident, he said, "She's a woman who's trying to act—I get that she's trying to break into the referee thing. But just giving techs and calling fouls, that's no way to do it. I know what she trying to say: 'I gave LaVar, I gave him a tech, I'm strong.' That ain't got nothing to do with it. Just call the game." Ball also said that the referee needed to "stay in her lane" and criticized her for being "not in shape

[link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaVar_Ball|

[Corvo Bianco]

35. Ugh. When you do a good thing for somebody,

Don't hold it against them in your next temper tantrum.

[MichMan]

36. Lavar Ball pulled his youngest son out of HS and is planning on teaching him at home

After having two previous High School basketball coaches fired, LaVar Ball has decided to remove his youngest son LaMelo from HS with two years remaining after a dispute with the third coach. Ball stated that he would be home schooled while he trains for a basketball career at UCLA

[ClarendonDem]

54. Yeah

Ball represents everything that is wrong in sports, and Trump everything that is wrong in politics. But since Trump's supporters are mostly racist, taking on Ball is probably a win/win for him.

[rocktivity]

38. But LaVar said that BEFORE Trump got to China

and, of course, probably before he wrote a big enough check.


rocktivity

[lastlib]

42. No, you should've taken their place in jail, you worthless shitstain!

In short time, you will!

[djacq]

44. Last time I check, gratitude is earned not expected

POTUS is a position of public office.

POTUS is suppose to work for us (all U.S. citizens), not just the "Trump Base".

POTUS receives a paycheck, security, and a house (paid for by U.S. taxpayers) in the performance of his or her duties.

I and many others have serve this country for many years...

I don't remember expecting a thank you when I performed my duties...

When I do receive a thank you, I say thank you right back...

When I do not receive a thank you, I take self-comfort and satisfaction that I performed my duties.

Public Service is not an ultimatum when you don't received praised. It's a calling because you want to help your fellow man or woman.

THIS IS WHAT PUBLIC SERVICE IS ALL ABOUT!

[marble falls]

46. IF he had anything to do with it, may he should have left his big orange nose out of it ....

and let the three alleged shoplifters face justice.

[Fred Sanders]

47. NO reply or care to his tweets is best.

[Flaleftist]

48. Ok. Just curious. Is there a single case of an American tourist

spending years in jail in China for one count of shoplifting?

[FakeNoose]

72. We used to have a very efficient State Dept.

It was their job to handle these things with American citizens traveling in foreign countries. You know, like ambassadors, consuls, people like that.

But since Cheeto became President that hasn't really been a State Department any more. Wouldn't you say it's his own fault?

[uppityperson]

50. Why is "unaccepting"? Does he mean ungrateful? Poor Donnie, I'm unaccepting of him too

[LisaM]

51. It takes a lot for me to take LaVar Ball's side.

Trump continues to achieve the improbable.

[Chicago1980]

52. Who's shocked?

He's saying what confederate conservatives are saying and posting...

Those ungrateful Ni##*@%+$..... is what they want to say.

[oneshooter]

56. Maybe he should of just left them there.

And let the Chinese justice system take care of it.

That would be better, right?

[orangecrush]

58. Jeebus H Krist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What the HIGH HOLY FUCK is WRONG WITH THIS ASSHOLE, and who let him get anywhere near the levers of power?!!

[mahatmakanejeeves]

59. METAPHORIC: Trump's LaVar Ball tweet is about keeping black men in their place.

METAPHORIC: Trump's LaVar Ball tweet is about keeping black men in their place. LITERAL: For Trump & Sessions, that place really is jail. #DogWhistlesEveryoneCanHear

Link to tweet

When I see Trump have tantrums because he didn't get enough praise or attention, I wonder: "How can skin that thin STILL look like luggage?"

Link to tweet

[Doitnow]

63. Has Mr. Perfect actually admitted he's made a MISTAKE????????

[Marie Marie]

66. Small, small man.

[riversedge]

67. petty man

[left-of-center2012]

68. Reminds me of the way he turned on the widow of the soldier killed in Africa

All glory and praise to Trump,
or he strikes back.

nasty !

[spiderpig]

73. "Bitter! Party of one!"

Why would we expect anything else from this social deviant?

He has no redeeming social qualities. Not one.

Wait a minute while I correct myself - he has no redeeming qualities of any kind.

[Rabrrrrrr]

74. Trump doesn't give a shit about the players. He helped get them released to have a success this year

If Trump hadn't been in China already when this happened, I doubt he would have made the effort to get them released, unless a lot of people put very public pressure on him to do so.

The fact that he "helped" get them release and his first tweet about it was to pre-accuse them of not being thankful nly shows that Trump did this solely to make himself look good.

He's a turd and a pig.

[SpankMe]

78. Holy COW - the man's an almighty prick!!! n/t

[underthematrix]

79. Here's my reply to TWITLER

Link to tweet

[harun]

80. How presidential.