Donald Trump’s story about LaVar Ball’s son completely falls apart
Spoiler alert: Donald Trump has been caught lying yet again. This time it turns out the entire premise for his public feud with LaVar Ball is based on a lie. Trump claims he personally intervened to save Ball’s college basketball star son from rotting for years in a Chinese prison on shoplifting charges. Now a professor in China is confirming that that’s not what happened at all, and that Trump is simply making up his own version of the story.
Trump tweeted this bizarre trash talk at LaVar Ball: “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 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!” But the facts quickly got in the way of Trump’s narrative.
Now a professor in Hong Kong is confirming to the New York Times that the Chinese government always lets tourists go in instances where they commit minor crimes (link). It’s not difficult to figure out why. While the government of China cares greatly when visiting foreigners try to interfere with its inner political workings, it’s not interested in upending relations with its international trade partners over a mere pair of stolen sunglasses.
In other words, Donald Trump simply made up his claims about personally intervening to get LaVar Ball’s son released from Chinese prison. No wonder Ball isn’t feeling grateful toward Trump: he knows that Trump didn’t actually do anything.
