John Matthews
WMAL.com
PALM BEACH, FL — President Donald Trump began his Thanksgiving holiday break with a familiar hobby – throwing bombs on Twitter.
The President’s first target was Levar Ball, the entreprenurial father of UCLA freshman LiAngelo Ball, one of three freshmen basketball players detained in China earlier this month for shoplifting sunglasses from a store. The players were detained during the same period that President Trump was visiting Asia, and Mr. Trump asked China’s leader Xi Jinping for his assistance in getting the players released.
After the players were sent home, the President asked for, and received the players’ thanks, but Ball’s father declined to credit Trump for his son’s release, telling CNN this week, “Did he help the boys get out? I don’t know. … If I was going to thank somebody I’d probably thank President Xi (Jinping).”
That set up the President’s response via Twitter Wednesday morning:
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 – IT WAS ME. Too bad! LaVar is just a poor man’s version of Don King, but without the hair. Just think..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 22, 2017
…LaVar, you could have spent the next 5 to 10 years during Thanksgiving with your son in China, but no NBA contract to support you. But remember LaVar, shoplifting is NOT a little thing. It’s a really big deal, especially in China. Ungrateful fool!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 22, 2017
The President stayed in the sports arena, following his tweets about Ball with another attack on the NFL’s policy concerning players kneeling for the National Anthem.
The NFL is now thinking about a new idea – keeping teams in the Locker Room during the National Anthem next season. That’s almost as bad as kneeling! When will the highly paid Commissioner finally get tough and smart? This issue is killing your league!…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 22, 2017
Earlier this week, the President blasted Oakland Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch for sitting during the Star Spangled Banner, while standing for the Mexican National Anthem during a game in Mexico City.
Copyright 2017 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (PHOTO: Getty Images via CNN)
