Trump labels father of UCLA player an ‘ungrateful fool’

Author: Associated Press
Published:
President Donald Trump waves as he steps off Air Force One at the Palm Beach International Airport, Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2017, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) A feud between President Donald Trump and the father of a UCLA basketball player detained for shoplifting in China reached a fever pitch Wednesday, with the president labeling LaVar Ball an “ungrateful fool.”

Continuing critical remarks he’s made about the elder Ball over social media over the past several days, Trump chastised LaVar Ball for failing to credit him with interceding with Chinese officials to get his son LiAngelo and two other UCLA basketball players released after they were detained in connection with a shoplifting incident while in in China to play a basketball game.

MORE: Trump tweets he should have left UCLA players in Chinese jail

Retweeting a post from one of his followers on Wednesday, Trump said, “The ungratefulness is something I’ve never seen before. If you get someone’s son out of prison, he should be grateful to you. Period. I don’t care.” The social media post that Trump retweeted went on to say: “If Hillary got my kid out of prison, as much as I hate the woman, I’d thank her corrupt ass.”

https://twitter.com/Realjmannarino/status/933280770403241984

In his own tweet, Trump said, “But remember LaVar, shoplifting is NOT a little thing,”

“Lavar, you could have spent the next 5 to 10 years during Thanksgiving with your son in China,” Trump said, “but no NBA contract to support you.”

Trump told LaVar Ball that shoplifting is “a really big deal, especially in China.”

“It wasn’t the White House, it wasn’t the State Department, it wasn’t father LaVar’s so-called people on the ground in China that got his son out of a long term prison sentence,” the president said. “IT WAS ME.”

“Too bad! LaVar is just a poor man’s version of Don King, but without the hair. Just think.”

LiAngelo Ball and two of his UCLA teammates were released after a brief detention in China while Trump was visiting the country. The three UCLA players have been suspended from the team.

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