After a Swedish prosecutor charged American rapper A$AP Rocky with assault on Thursday, President Trump waited a few hours before slamming Sweden and its prime minister on Twitter. Lots of celebrities are pushing for A$AP Rocky's release, but Trump seemed most upset that Sweden insists on maintaining an independent judiciary.
"Very disappointed in Prime Minister Stefan Löfven for being unable to act," Trump tweeted Thursday evening. "Sweden has let our African American Community down in the United States. I watched the tapes of A$AP Rocky, and he was being followed and harassed by troublemakers. Treat Americans fairly!" The president added in a second tweet: "Give A$AP Rocky his FREEDOM. We do so much for Sweden but it doesn't seem to work the other way around."
The Stockholm prosecutor, Daniel Suneson, explained when charging A$AP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, that he had "studied the videos made available to the inquiry" and emphasized that "I have had access to a greater amount of material than that which has previously been available on the internet."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
After Trump called Lofven on Saturday to push for his intervention in the case, Lofven's press secretary described the conversation as "friendly and respectful" but said the prime minister "made certain to emphasize the complete independence of the Swedish judicial system, prosecutors, and courts," and said the government would not and could not attempt to steer the case. On Friday, responding to Trump's tweets, another Lofven spokesman, Mikael Lindstrom, reiterated: "The government is not allowed, and will not attempt, to influence the legal proceedings, which are now ongoing."
A$AP Rocky's trial will take place between July 30 and Aug. 2.
-
The Icelandic women’s strike 50 years onIn The Spotlight The nation is ‘still no paradise’ for women, say campaigners
-
Mall World: why are people dreaming about a shopping centre?Under The Radar Thousands of strangers are dreaming about the same thing and no one sure why
-
Why scientists are attempting nuclear fusionThe Explainer Harnessing the reaction that powers the stars could offer a potentially unlimited source of carbon-free energy, and the race is hotting up
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
