On Friday, Donald Trump said that he would be speaking with Swedish prime minister Stefan Löfven in an attempt to bring A$AP Rocky back to American soil. The rapper was arrested earlier this month in Stockholm on suspicion of assault, with celebrities including Kanye West and Kim Kardashian West urging Trump to take action on Rocky’s behalf. But now it appears that the rapper won’t be receiving special treatment, and his case will continue through the Swedish court system as previously planned, the New York Times reports.
Löfven and Trump spoke on the phone for about 20 minutes on Saturday. Despite their “friendly and respectful” exchange, Löfven said that he won’t be bypassing Swedish legal procedures to allow A$AP Rocky to return to the United States.
According to a statement from Löfven’s press secretary shared with the Times, Löfven “underlined that in Sweden, everyone is equal before the law and that the government cannot and will not attempt to influence the legal proceedings.”
On Saturday, Donald Trump tweeted about his “very good call” with the Swedish prime minister, who assured him that Rocky “will be treated fairly.” Trump also said he could “personally vouch for [Rocky’s] bail.” “Our teams will be talking further, and we agreed to speak again in the next 48 hours,” Trump’s statement continued in a followup tweet.
Support for Rocky’s return has continued since his July 2 arrest, with Justin Bieber recently taking to Twitter to praise Trump for supporting the rapper. “I want my friend out…I appreciate you trying to help him,” Bieber tweeted on Saturday. “But while your at it @realDonaldTrump can you also let those kids out of cages?”
A$AP Rocky is currently under investigation on suspicion of assault after video emerged last month showing the rapper allegedly tossing a young man to the ground while on tour in Stockholm. On Friday, his detention was extended until July 25. Revisit our full timeline of the case here.
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