President Trump renews hostilities with LaVar Ball, NFL

President Trump took to Twitter on Wednesday morning to continue his ongoing beefs with LaVar Ball and the NFL.

President Trump has spent the past week clashing with LaVar Ball, father of Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball and UCLA freshman Liangelo Ball, over his role in bringing Liangelo back to the U.S. after the latter, along with two Bruins teammates, was caught shoplifting on a team trip to China.

Following the players’ return to the States, Trump wondered on Twitter whether they were going to thank him for ensuring their safe return home, leading LaVar to question, in an interview with CNN, the extent of the role the President actually played in helping the teenagers make it back.

On Wednesday, Trump responded to LaVar’s CNN appearance, calling him “a poor man’s Don King, but without the hair” and an “Ungrateful fool!” Trump also repeated his earlier claim that Liangelo was facing a long-term prison sentence, despite reports he was facing only two weeks in jail.

When he finished tweeting about the Balls, Trump turned his attention to another one of his favorite targets, the NFL, criticizing the league for considering a proposal that would see players stay in the locker during the national anthem. His verdict? “That’s almost as bad as kneeling!”

Trump has been a vocal critic of the NFL as more and more players have knelt during the national anthem in protest of racial inequality and police brutality. The league put up a united front when Trump suggested in September that teams should fire players who kneel, but not everyone inside the NFL is comfortable with the protests.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has been particularly outspoken on the issue, claiming he would bench players who knelt during the anthem, despite kneeling with his players before the anthem following Trump’s initial comments.