By Jay Caruso

The Dallas Morning News

People have a fondness for saying about President Donald Trump, “I don’t care what he says. I care what he does.”

For many professions, that might be applicable. For, say, a professional athlete or movie star. Public servants, on the other hand, get held to a higher standard — as they should. Trump doesn’t get a pass from that standard because he’s president. In fact, it should be higher.

Recent actions by Trump suggest he thinks the presidency is all about loyalty to him rather than him serving the public. He sees himself as a “boss” when in fact, he’s just the hired help. Trump doesn’t understand the distinction, which was made all too evident in several recent tweets about the UCLA basketball players arrested in China on shoplifting charges.

Trump put in a word for the players with Chinese President Xi Jinping and proceeded to take all of the credit when the players were released.

Fast forward a few days and LaVar Ball, father of LiAngelo Ball, suggested Trump didn’t have much to do with securing his son’s release. When asked about Trump’s role, the elder Ball replied, “Who? What was he over there for? Don’t tell me nothing. Everybody wants to make it seem like he helped me out.”

Ball’s words got back to Trump. Instead of shrugging the comments off or just going about his day, the president took to Twitter, blasting Ball and saying he was, “unaccepting of what I did for his son and that shoplifting is no big deal. I should have left them in jail!”

Trump didn’t stop there. He also tweeted: “Shoplifting is a very big deal in China, as it should be (5-10 years in jail), but not to father LaVar. Should have gotten his son out during my next trip to China instead. China told them why they were released. Very ungrateful!”

Trump defenders will tell me, “Oh come on, Caruso! Trump was merely reacting the way any of us would!”

For the record, I don’t disagree that Ball plays the part of an ingrate very well. But Trump should know better. (How often does this need to be said about a 71-year-old man?) He doesn’t seem to comprehend that as president, he serves the public. The office of the presidency is not a vehicle for getting people to lavish praise upon him.

Sure, we’ve all had ingratitude directed our way. You hold the door for a person, and he or she doesn’t say “Thanks.” You allow a car to move in front of you in traffic and the driver doesn’t give you the customary “Thank you” wave. You drop a buck or two into the tip jar at Starbucks, and the clerk barely notices.

We all want to lash out and say, “Hey! How about some thanks over here?”

Trump defenders: “Ha! That’s just what he did!”

Yes and that’s the problem. Trump shouldn’t. Showing leadership at times means saying nothing. Actions speak louder than words.

LaVar Ball came off looking bad with his comments about Trump. Not content to let it go, Trump made the situation worse when he suggested he should have allowed three men to rot in a Chinese prison because somebody didn’t show enough allegiance to him.

Some people still seem to think that one day Trump will “get it.” That he will finally comprehend the importance of his office and that running the country is not the same as hosting a reality television show.

I won’t hold my breath.

Jay Caruso is a member of the Dallas Morning News editorial board. Readers may email him at jay.caruso@dallasnews.com.