‘I should have left them in jail’: Trump ramps up petulant Twitter war with father of UCLA basketball player

President Donald Trump -- who has yet to address the on-going sex abuse scandal engulfing GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore -- took time out from his busy Sunday schedule to complain that the father of a UCLA basketball player failed to appreciate his claim that he saved the teen from jail time in China.

According to the White House, Trump negotiated the release of UCLA basketball players LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hall after they were accused of shoplifting while touring China.

Following their release, Trump boasted on Twitter, "Do you think the three UCLA Basketball Players will say thank you President Trump? They were headed for 10 years in jail!" before adding, "....your release possible and, HAVE A GREAT LIFE! Be careful, there are many pitfalls on the long and winding road of life!"

Asked about Trump's tweets, LaVar Ball -- father of LiAngelo -- told ESPN, “Who? What was he over there for? Don’t tell me nothing. Everybody wants to make it seem like he helped me out.”

Trump apparently did not like being dismissed by Ball, and vented on Twitter, saying he should have left the three American students 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!"

You can see the tweets below: