Trump: I should have left UCLA basketball players in jail

[jayjayj 571]

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

 

"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.

“Now that the three basketball players are out of China and saved from years in jail, LaVar Ball, the father of LiAngelo, is unaccepting of what I did for his son and that shoplifting is no big deal. I should have left them in jail!” Trump tweeted. 

Now that the three basketball players are out of China and saved from years in jail, LaVar Ball, the father of LiAngelo, is unaccepting of what I did for his son and that shoplifting is no big deal. I should have left them in jail!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 19, 2017

LaVar Ball's son LiAngelo Ball 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."

[Dashinka 24,874]

Sounds like the father thinks the Chinese criminal justice system treats theft the same way it is treated in the US.  Maybe Trump is right, he should have left it alone and let these players and their families deal with the Chinese authorities.

[-Trinity- 513]

That's pretty #@$& up.

No matter what you think of Trump, he got his son, who committed a crimes in a foreign country, out of jail. Be thankful, you don't need to agree with him or even like him.

 

 

[charmander 692]

I've seen so many great tweets on this yesterday but my favorite one is this:

 

 

[charmander 692]

Yes, Ball family should be thankful but a Turkish proverb says "help others and throw it into the sea; if the fish doesn't appreciate it, God will".

[Dashinka 24,874]

1 minute ago, charmander said:

Yes, Ball family should be thankful but a Turkish proverb says "help others and throw it into the sea; if the fish doesn't appreciate it, God will".

I am not sure if we can apply this to politicians.  I think they by their very nature need to show they are actually doing something to help people.  Can you imagine any Rep, or Senator getting re-elected without taking any credit for the money (read pork) they bring back to the State/District they represent?

[-Trinity- 513]

11 minutes ago, charmander said:

I've seen so many great tweets on this yesterday but my favorite one is this:

 

 

Yeah, I don't think people can expect something else from someone who is addicted to twitter.

 

But regardless, his son did something stupid in a country that's is not exactly known for respecting human rights, let alone the rights of someone commiting a crime. In my opinion you should be thankful that your son got help. 

Edited November 20, 2017 by Beachlover

[bcking 3,157]

6 minutes ago, Bill & Katya said:

I am not sure if we can apply this to politicians.  I think they by their very nature need to show they are actually doing something to help people.  Can you imagine any Rep, or Senator getting re-elected without taking any credit for the money (read pork) they bring back to the State/District they represent?

To be sure politicians will always make it clear when they help someone, because they are politicians. They don't all always demand that the people they help publicly thank them. They don't force the adoration. As soon as you apply force, it becomes fake and hollow.  I didn't like that Trump called out to the players to thank him. The fact that they ended up sending a thank you was fairly meaningless because obviously it was hollow. 

 

Though I also think that the father of the boy should have called a spade a spade. Our President helped get his son out of jail. His son committed a crime. I agree with others about not minimizing a crime. I don't care that the dad is from LA and has "seen a lot worse".

It is fairly clear how poorly he is raising his son.

 

However - Trump's response to the father is extremely unpresidential and inappropriate. I don't care that the father "snubbed" him unnecessarily. A President shouldn't be publicly saying that he should have left US citizens in a foreign jail. The standards are (should) be different for the President and a private citizen.

 

The latest articles still say they are "suspended indefinitely". We all know that won't last long.

[charmander 692]

1 minute ago, Bill & Katya said:

I am not sure if we can apply this to politicians.  I think they by their very nature need to show they are actually doing something to help people.  Can you imagine any Rep, or Senator getting re-elected without taking any credit for the money (read pork) they bring back to the State/District they represent?

But they usually don't point out names, right? I don't ever remember a congressperson giving a list of individuals they assisted with IRS, VA, SSA, USCIS, etc.

 

Besides in this case Lavar is a genuine media troll who is trying to advertise his shoe brand, why give him a free ride?

[-Trinity- 513]

7 minutes ago, charmander said:

 

Besides in this case Lavar is a genuine media troll who is trying to advertise his shoe brand, why give him a free ride?

Sigh...are there any real, genuine people left?

You're right, Trump should have not paid any attention to this guy, whether he has a hidden agenda or not.  But: It. is.Trump

I actually don't expect him to act differently, I would be flabbergasted if he didn't respond.

 

[charmander 692]

Just now, Beachlover said:

Sigh...are there any real, genuine people left?

You're right, Trump should have not paid any attention to this guy, whether he has a hidden agenda or not.  But: It. is.Trump

I actually don't expect him to act differently, I would be flabbergasted if he didn't respond.

 

Oh yeah. You should search about LaVar. Dude has been trolling NBA greats for a while. He even claimed he could take Michael Jordan on one-on-one. It all started with his eldest son Lonzo (now playing for LA Lakers) but he has two more coming up. Unfortunately, Ball family will be in the picture for a while.

[The Nature Boy 7,659]

55 minutes ago, bcking said:

To be sure politicians will always make it clear when they help someone, because they are politicians. They don't all always demand that the people they help publicly thank them. They don't force the adoration. As soon as you apply force, it becomes fake and hollow.  I didn't like that Trump called out to the players to thank him. The fact that they ended up sending a thank you was fairly meaningless because obviously it was hollow. 

 

Though I also think that the father of the boy should have called a spade a spade. Our President helped get his son out of jail. His son committed a crime. I agree with others about not minimizing a crime. I don't care that the dad is from LA and has "seen a lot worse".

It is fairly clear how poorly he is raising his son.

 

However - Trump's response to the father is extremely unpresidential and inappropriate. I don't care that the father "snubbed" him unnecessarily. A President shouldn't be publicly saying that he should have left US citizens in a foreign jail. The standards are (should) be different for the President and a private citizen.

 

The latest articles still say they are "suspended indefinitely". We all know that won't last long.

I am glad some members are not here anymore. You would be in trouble 

[bcking 3,157]

4 minutes ago, Nature Boy Flair said:

I am glad some members are not here anymore. You would be in trouble 

"In trouble"? Perhaps you take these forums more seriously than I do. Oh I'm trembling in my shoes.

 

I just try to apply a fair and balanced approach. The President made a kind gesture helping young kids who made stupid decisions in a foreign country. Thanking him would have been the polite thing to do, but they were not required to do so. The President didn't need to then complain about them not thanking him. Their father, when asked, should have politely acknowledged the President's help. However he wasn't required to do so either. The President, subsequently, should not have then complained and claimed he should have left the kids in jail.

 

"Unfair" as it may be, we should be holding a President to a hire standard than some one-time basketball player/father of upcoming basketball players, or the young kids themselves. He is the President. It's sad that this distinction even needs to be made, but it is coming up again and again in the last year. Somebody else can tweet childish things, the President should hold himself to a higher standard.

Edited November 20, 2017 by bcking

[yuna628 9,744]

I'm confused. Don't these boys have money? What's the point of shoplifting?

[The Nature Boy 7,659]

1 minute ago, yuna628 said:

I'm confused. Don't these boys have money? What's the point of shoplifting?

why would they have money ? Most college athletes  struggle