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Trump Twitter Trolled for Giving Into LaVar Ball's PR Scheme

President Donald Trump (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

By Eric Mack | Sunday, 19 November 2017 02:46 PM EST

Twitter is trolling President Donald Trump for giving in to mercurial hoop father LaVar Ball's non-stop campaign for publicity by tweeting the ungrateful father suggests "shoplifting is no big deal" and "I should have left them in jail!"

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

The reactions on Twitter were mixed, considering the dislike the masses have had for the publicity-seeking Ball and the oft-targeted president's Twitter habits.

Frequent President Trump critic, Bill Kristol, did not take long to pounce:

Trump: If Americans won't express fulsome gratitude to me personally, I don't see why I should bother doing what a president should do. Trump's failure to distinguish between himself and the office he holds is almost the definition of not understanding a constitutional republic. https://t.co/oabN54cUOw
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) November 19, 2017

Fox Business host Charles Payne expressed dismay over Ball's publicity-seeking shoes salesmanship:

First LaVar Ball picks a fight with Michael Jordan and now President Trump and I'm trying to figure out what demographic group he's trying to sell sneakers to. Meanwhile, his son could have grown old in a Chinese prison. For Real
— Charles V Payne (@cvpayne) November 19, 2017

Ball's son, LiAngelo, and two teammates faced 10 years of jail in China after charges of allegedly shoplifting sunglasses. President Trump tweeted calls for gratitude earlier this week for their release, and the players have since been suspended from the team indefinitely.

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

To the three UCLA basketball players I say: You're welcome, go out and give a big Thank You to President Xi Jinping of China who made.....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 16, 2017

....your release possible and, HAVE A GREAT LIFE! Be careful, there are many pitfalls on the long and winding road of life!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 16, 2017

LaVar Ball rejected President Trump's call, reportedly telling ESPN: "Who? What was he over there for? Don't tell me nothing. Everybody wants to make it seem like he helped me out."

President Trump's tweet made the oft-criticized LaVar Ball the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter on Sunday afternoon:

You don’t have to like that he tweeted this but he is 100% correct. LaVar Ball is a total ingrate whose son could have spent years in a Chinese labor camp. https://t.co/NE8MmVyd0Q
— Chris Barron (@ChrisRBarron) November 19, 2017

LaVar Ball's response will determine whether I buy some Big Baller shoes this week
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) November 19, 2017

LaVar Ball trolled the President of the United States into mentioning him by name. I mean, just think about that.
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) November 19, 2017

November 19, 1863: President Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg Address, widely considered to be one of the most important speeches in American history

November 19, 2017: President Trump fights with LaVar Ball, expresses regret about not leaving American citizens in China
— Josh Billinson (@jbillinson) November 19, 2017