Trump’s Response to LaVar Ball — Most Unpresidential

National Review ^ | 11/19/2017 | Katherine Timpf

[SeekAndFind]

The father of one of the basketball players who had been facing shoplifting charges in China downplayed President Trump’s role in having him released — and Trump’s response may be one of the worst I’ve seen yet.

Now, to be fair, I certainly do understand why President Trump would have been upset by this. If you want to argue that LiAngelo Ball’s father, LaVar, should have shown gratitude instead of dismissal of President Trump’s efforts, then I’d say that’s a fine argument. What’s not fine, however, is this:

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

I mean, really? These three players thanked you by name, but because one of their fathers said something that you didn’t like, all three of them should have had to rot in a foreign jail? There’s really no appropriate response to a reaction like that except for, just, come on, man.

Of course, I’m not saying that these players don’t deserve any punishment. They do . . . and they deserve some ridicule, too. After all, not only is stealing wrong, but stealing in China also makes you kind of an idiot. These three embarrassed themselves, UCLA, their families, and our entire country — but they still don’t deserve to rot in a Chinese jail, and President Trump did the right thing by working to free them. Here’s the thing, though: President Trump should have worked to free them simply because it was the right thing to do, and his tweet suggests he did it looking for admiration.

What makes me think that? Well, as soon as someone — not even one of the players, but one of the player’s fathers — changed his tone from gratitude and praise to dismissal and minimization, President Trump immediately rushed to the keyboard to say he regretted doing it.

This wasn’t “presidential,” and I’m not using that word in the way that most people use it. After all, when most people criticize Trump for not being “presidential,” what they mean is that he doesn’t conduct himself with the kind of decorum that they believe someone in his position should. This, however, goes so far beyond that: It suggests that President Trump does not understand that his role is to be a servant for the people of the United States — of all of the people, whether they (or their fathers) like him or not.

Yes, what President Trump did was noble, but it wasn’t extraordinary — it was his job. This is America, and our presidents don’t just leave U.S. citizens in foreign countries’ jails regardless of whether or not those citizens thought it was a good idea to steal luxury merchandise or not. President Trump should have done what he did because it’s the kind of thing he was elected to do, not in exchange for recognition from the players, their fathers, or anyone.

[Ezekiel]

Instead of Shrugging, Atlas is flexing his muscles!

You make an excellent point, because of the design of the Trump international logo, being a "Capital T" coming up from the foundation of the world.

You can make this stuff up.

There is much written in the Jewish commentaries about this verse:

Proverbs 10:25 As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation.

Because it is read as "the Tzaddik is the foundation of the world", and thus is the yesod of Joseph.

The verse reminds me of another (10:25, 25:10) because it's on our own foundational symbol, the Liberty Bell:

Leviticus 25:10 And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.

One of a zillion examples of where America *is* Bible prophecy, yet noone's looking there.

Mysteries of the universe are in what Solomon said. "The proverbs of Solomon" actually introduces not only chapter 1, but also 10 and 25. Must be something to that detail. God said to be observant. :)

[Ezekiel]

The keyboard is really in a mood today, and my proof-reading skills are napping.

You *can’t* make this stuff up, sheesh.

[daviscupper]

The never Trumpsters go out of there way to blow things out of proportion and out of context.

Trump’s post was obviously meant to show how ungrateful and idiotic the father acted. Yes, if Trump did not act those spoiled, selfish, ignorant and entitled primadonas could have rotted in jail. But Trump did act, unlike Obama who let a young student rot in a North Korean jail and be tortured to death.

Somehow Kat can only find fault with Trump. Let your hate go, Kat. Except it. Trump won and we voted for him because he does the right thing.

[KC_for_Freedom]

Another Jewish concept, that ungratefulness is a great sin.

The father looks like he is trying to demonstrate how poorly his son was raised. Likely to turn out to be a thief.

Which of the three was the leader?

[Redleg Duke]

National Review...nuff said.

[Ohioan]

Ms. Timpf has nothing better to do than try to split hairs to grossly exaggerate a minuscule point. Presidents occasionally express their pique--just as the rest of us. Ms. Timpf is upset. But lest anyone mistake her for one with critical intelligence, she goes to her key board, and ends that possibility.

[Ezekiel]

Good point. Whoever was the leader, they are all ungrateful losers.

Thanks to the President’s kindness, everybody knows this. ;)

Best way to out evil, is to let it run its own mouth. Seeing yet another sure way to besmirch the President, evil can’t run to the mic fast enough.

[KC_Conspirator]

This Timpf lady has little knowledge of Lavar Ball apparently.

[dragnet2]

American don't give a damn about appearances and looking presidential. They want someone who says it like it is. Not some GD lawyer speak. They're all fake with their BS phony demeanor while the D.C. disciples of deceit always smiled for the cameras and played presidential. All while they were winking, nodding and looking "presidential", Americans got debt, decline, devalued dollar, tens of millions of illegal aliens, entire industries moving off shore in every direction etc.

These political writers have no clue, zip and still can't figure out what happened or why Trump won.

[Hot Tabasco]

Ping

[CommerceComet]

President Trump did not have to get involved. He could have left the matter with the diplomats and in a few months, the players might have gotten released.

The elder Ball is a complete and utter loon and he shouldn't have bitten the hand that had just fed him. What's non-presidential about calling out this ingrate?

Trump wasn't my guy in the primaries but I quickly admired his ability to make the right enemies. I've become a fan as his performance in office deserves it and he has continued to make the right enemies, including the clowns at The National Review. From the pillar of logical political discourse to the level of the National Inquirer within one lifetime. Sad.

[mbrfl]

Maybe if our culture had the guts to shame bad behavior, there’d be no need for the president to have to deal with such matters. The cultural gatekeepers of the left have created a generation that has accepted the mainstreaming of anti-social behavior from certain protected groups. Our culture has become an obscene perversion of common decency and propriety. Now suddenly, when we have a president that has the guts to confront such indecency in plain language, the cultural gate keepers are concerned with propriety.

Go F yourself National Review.

[catnipman]

[Enchante]