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Article snippet: WASHINGTON — President Trump began his first Thanksgiving vacation in office with an early-morning Twitter rage in which he again vented about some of his favorite targets: sports figures he thinks have defied him. The president called LaVar Ball, the father of one of three U.C.L.A. players arrested in China for shoplifting, a “poor man’s version of Don King,” the black sports promoter. He also called Mr. Ball an “ungrateful fool!” and insisted that “IT WAS ME” who deserved more thanks for rescuing Mr. Ball’s son from the Chinese authorities. Mr. Trump followed the angry rant toward Mr. Ball, who is African-American, with a return to his monthslong demand for football players to be more respectful while the national anthem is played — an issue that has strong support among some Americans. On the idea of asking players to stay in locker rooms during the anthem, Mr. Trump tweeted: “That’s almost as bad as kneeling!” Together, the posts were a reprise of Mr. Trump’s personal attacks against sports figures — many of them African-American — for what he judges to be poor behavior on their part and a failure to demonstrate enough deference to others. White House officials deny that the president is focused on race when he comments about sports and athletes. But to historians and black activists, the tweets are clear evidence of an attempt by the president to send a message of solidarity to many supporters. “President Trump appears to have a peculiar overfascination with... Link to the full article to read more