It seems as if A$AP Rocky had the then-president in his corner. That’s right, allegedly, Donald Trump threatened trade restrictions with Sweden if they didn’t release the rapper immediately. An international war was brewing over the “D.M.B.” rapper.
A$AP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayer, was arrested in Stockholm in 2019 and charged with assault following a street brawl. The rapper claims it was self-defense after a video surfaced of him punching and kicking a man in the street. He spent a month in jail and was found guilty of assault.
When learning of the incident, Donald Trump called on the prime minister, Stefan Lofven, for the rapper’s release. Trump petitioned for the then-prime minister to “free” the rapper and expressed his disappointment in the decision.
The current prime minister, Morgan Johansson, is speaking about the exchange.
“This story demonstrates how important it really is to stand up for our legal principles and not to take our democracy for granted. If you can try and do something like this against Sweden, what will you then try and do to slightly weaker countries that don’t have the European Union behind them?”
Though the rapper was found guilty, he was given a suspended sentence in the Swedish court.
At the time, Trump tweeted, “Give A$AP Rocky his FREEDOM. We do so much for Sweden, but it doesn’t seem to work the other way around. Sweden should focus on its real crime problem!”
