In July of 2019, the famed rapper and singer A$AP Rocky was arrested for alleged assault charges in Stockholm, Sweden following a brawl between his team and some other people. After being urged by Kanye West to take action, then president Donald Trump made public statements on Twitter urging the Swedish government to release the artist. Now, three years later and after Rocky was released, we’ve learned even more details about Trump’s response to the situation.
Stereogum has reported that Sweden’s former Justice Minister claimed that Trump intended to impose trade restrictions on Sweden if the country wouldn’t release the rapper. This revelation tells us exactly what Trump was referring to when he suggested that Sweden may face “negative consequences” if they released the rapper: a trade war.
The Justice Minister condemned Trump’s actions and wondered how willing he would be to threaten weaker countries, asking “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?”
Luckily, the crisis was averted as Rocky was released and back to performing shortly after; performing in Sweden in cage the December after his arrest.
Photo Credit: Mauricio Alvarado
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