President Donald Trump worked with Chinese president Xi Jinping on having three arrested UCLA basketball players returned to the United States and now he apparently is asking about a show of appreciation from the Bruins.
"Do you think the three UCLA Basketball Players will say thank you President Trump?" he tweeted. "They were headed for 10 years in jail!"
Do you think the three UCLA Basketball Players will say thank you President Trump? They were headed for 10 years in jail!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 15, 2017
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LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill were arrested on charges of shoplifting in China during their trip there for a game against Georgia Tech. The players were not allowed to play in the game after they were arrested or return to the United States with the team.
But they were released Tuesday to return home, and they were met by a mob of reporters and cameras at LAX upon arrival.
The players reportedly will be speaking to the media Wednesday at 11 a.m. PT.
President Trump was involved in the situation and commented on it to the press.
“The basketball players, by the way — I know a lot of people are asking — I will tell you, when I heard about it two days ago, I had a great conversation with President Xi,” Trump said via the Washington Post. “What they did was unfortunate. You know, you’re talking about very long prison sentences. [The Chinese] do not play games.”
