A$AP Ferg at Terminal 5
photo by Toby Tenenbaum

Sweden emphasizes courts' independence as Trump says, "give A$AP Rocky his FREEDOM"

President Donald Trump was urged by Kanye West to come to A$AP Rocky‘s aid when he was arrested in Sweden. Rocky has since been charged with assault, and Trump, who claimed to have had a “very good call” with Prime Minister Stefan Löfven where he “assured him that A$AP was not a flight risk and offered to personally vouch for his bail,” reacted angrily. “Very disappointed in Prime Minister Stefan Löfven for being unable to act,” he tweeted. “Sweden has let our African American Community down in the United States. I watched the tapes of A$AP Rocky, and he was being followed and harassed by troublemakers. Treat Americans fairly! #FreeRocky” In a second tweet, Trump continued, “give A$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! #FreeRocky”

Reuters reports that the Swedish government has issued a new response to Trump’s tweets. “Sweden and Prime Minister Stefan Löfven have been very clear in the dialogue with both the White House and directly with the American president, that in Sweden everyone is equal before the law and that the government cannot interfere in legal proceedings,” a spokesperson said in a text message.

Furthermore, as Reuters points out, while Trump offered to “personally vouch for” bail for Rocky, Sweden doesn’t have a bail system in place.

If convicted, Rocky faces up to two years in jail.