UCLA Players Jailed in China Are Freed After Trump Intervenes

President Donald Trump had a productive visit in China, and, by the sounds of it, succeeded in working to build a stronger economic relationship with the country (while aiming to reduce the trade deficit). On Thursday, he announced that the two had agreed on roughly $250 billion in deals between American businesses and Chinese companies.

Billions in trade deals weren’t the only thing he brought back home, either. According to the Daily Caller, “LiAngelo Ball and his two UCLA basketball teammates were freed from Chinese custody early Tuesday after President Donald Trump intervened on their behalf.”

More from the report: “The Wall Street Journal reported that Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill had all boarding a Delta flight home after being detained for over a week. They slipped out of possibly serving up to ten years for allegedly stealing from a Louis Vuitton store in Hangzhou, China. Trump spoke directly to Chinese President Xi Jinping about the players during his trip to Asia, and now they’re out less than 24 hours later.”

Despite the “seriousness of their shoplifting arrests,” the two are scheduled to fly back home later today. The trio had been accused of stealing from the Louis Vuitton store next to their basketball team’s hotel, and were forced to remain in China after their teammates returned home on Saturday.

Staff at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport told the Wall Street Journal that they saw the three checking into a Delta flight headed towards Los Angeles.

“What they did was unfortunate,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One regarding the athletes, after negotiating their release. However, “You know, you’re talking about very long prison sentences. They do not play games,” he said of Chinese authorities. The potential jail time ranged from 3-10 years – prior to intervention from President Trump.

For their own sake, thank God they weren’t NFL players. Trump may have thought better of his intervention.

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By Matt

Matt is the co-founder of Unbiased America and a freelance writer specializing in economics and politics. He’s been published... More about Matt

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