Trump Took Full Credit for Freeing 3 UCLA Players From China – Turns Out He Had Nothing to Do With Their Release
‘I Should Have Left Them in Jail!’ Tweeted Trump, Feeling He Hadn’t Been Given Sufficient ThanksÂ
A new report from ESPN finds that while President Donald Trump took total credit for the release of three UCLA basketball players held by China last November, by the time he and the White House were involved they had already been released days earlier.
Freshmen players LiAngelo Ball, Jalen Hill, and Cody Riley were arrested for shoplifting sunglasses in early November. But the “charges were dropped, the bail refunded and the players’ passports [were] returned two days before White House chief of staff John Kelly called the players to inform them that President Donald Trump was working on their release,” ESPN reports.
That’s a far different story than President Trump told. Aboard Air Force One Trump bragged about speaking with the president of China and went as far as to say the three players were “very grateful” to him for intervening. He also lied, both on the plane and later via Twitter, about China’s laws, claiming stealing sunglasses would have left them with stiff prison sentences had they been prosecuted.
“The situation was already resolved by the time we heard about Trump’s involvement,” a UCLA team source told ESPN. “That’s not to take away from the fact that he got involved, but the players already had their passports back and their flights booked to go home Tuesday night when Gen. Kelly called the players.”
Trump, feeling that he wasn’t getting sufficient gratitude from the students and from LaVar Ball, LiAndro’s father. So Trump decided to go head-to-head with LaVar ball and the players, by waging a Twitter war:
Shoplifting is a very big deal in China, as it should be (5-10 years in jail), but not to father LaVar. Should have gotten his son out during my next trip to China instead. China told them why they were released. Very ungrateful!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 19, 2017
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
He also did his best to take credit a few days later, tweeting, “IT WAS ME” who got the players released, which, it turns out, was false.
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
He even called LiAngelo‘s father LaVar an “Ungrateful fool!”
…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
Before their press conference, during which LiAngelo was told he had to thank the president and did, Trump tweeted, “Do you think the three UCLA Basketball Players will say thank you President Trump? They were headed for 10 years in jail!”
That false claim, again, that they were headed for lengthy prison sentences, was a lie.
Here’s the press conference including LiAngelo Ball thanking President Trump.
“There are no real winners here,” ThinkProgress notes, “but considering how well Trump reacted to Ball last year, it’s unlikely the President will be issuing any apologies, or showing any support for the Big Baller Brand any time soon.”

Enjoy this piece?
… then let us make a small request. The New Civil Rights Movement depends on readers like you to meet our ongoing expenses and continue producing quality progressive journalism. Three Silicon Valley giants consume 70 percent of all online advertising dollars, so we need your help to continue doing what we do.
NCRM is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. From unflinching coverage of religious extremism, to spotlighting efforts to roll back our rights, NCRM continues to speak truth to power. America needs independent voices like NCRM to be sure no one is forgotten.
Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Help ensure NCRM remains independent long into the future. Support progressive journalism with a one-time contribution to NCRM, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you. Click here to donate by check.
![]() |