Swedish Prime Minister Tells Trump That A$AP Rocky Won’t Get Special Treatment

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven has thrown cold water on President Donald Trump’s attempt to secure A$AP Rocky’s release from jail, warning on Saturday that the American rapper would get no special treatment.

Trump tweeted that morning about his “very good call” with Löfven, adding that the prime minister said “American citizen A$AP Rocky will be treated fairly.”

“Likewise, I assured him that A$AP was not a flight risk and offered to personally vouch for his bail, or an alternative,” the president wrote.

A statement from the prime minister’s spokesperson appeared to reject Trump’s effort to help the artist.

“The Prime Minister made sure to point out that the Swedish judicial system, prosecutors and courts, are completely independent,” the spokesperson said. “He also pointed out that everyone is equal before the law and that the government neither can nor will try to influence the judicial process.”

Rocky, whose legal name is Rakim Mayers, has been detained since July 5 “on probable cause on suspicion of assault in Stockholm,” according to the Swedish Prosecution Agency. He was in Sweden as part of a European tour with his hip-hop group, A$AP Mob.

The agency announced Friday that the artist would be held until July 25, called him a flight risk, and said more time was needed for the investigation.

The incident appears to have occurred on July 2, when Rocky posted footage on Instagram of two men following him and his friends around the city despite being told repeatedly to walk in the opposite direction.

One video clip shows a scuffle, including a man throwing an object at someone from Rocky’s crew. The rapper tells the men, “We don’t want to fight y’all.”

Separate footage from TMZ shows a far more graphic scene involving Rocky throwing a man to the ground and beating him with the help of three other individuals.

Two of Rocky’s associates were also apprehended. 

Lawmakers and celebrities in the U.S. have called for the rapper to be released. 

Democratic Reps. Adriano Espaillat and Hakeem Jeffries of New York, André Carson of Indiana and Joaquin Castro of Texas spoke out on Wednesday, alleging Rocky and his associates are suffering “human rights violations” and “inhumane conditions” while incarcerated, The Washington Post reported.

The following day, they issued a statement calling for Rocky to be freed. 

“We remain deeply concerned about the detainment of Rakim Mayers, also known as A$AP Rocky, and his two companions David Rispers Jr., and Bladimir Corniel,” the congressmen said, according to a statement obtained by the Post. “All three of these gentlemen are not only American citizens, they are young men of color.”