President Trump tweeted Wednesday wondering if the three UCLA Basketball Players, LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley, and Jalen Hill, who were freed from their detainment in China and potential jail time on suspicion of shoplifting, would say thank you. Trump added that the players had been “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
The players were arrested the day before Trump arrived in China for his visit to Asia. Trump told reporters on Air Force One Tuesday that he brought up the players’ fate in a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, adding that they were working on allowing the players to return home.
“What they did was unfortunate,” Trump said of the players. “You know, you’re talking about very long prison sentences. They do not play games.”
“Hopefully everything is going to work out,” Trump added, calling it “a very rough situation.” He said President Xi Jinping had been ” terrific on that subject.”
