Politics

Trump threatened trade war with Sweden over A$AP Rocky’s arrest in 2019: report

Donald Trump threatened to start a trade war with Sweden in 2019 over the arrest of Harlem rapper A$AP Rocky, the Nordic country’s longtime justice minister claimed this week.

In an interview with Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter Morgan Johansson said the 45th president warned “trade restrictions” would be slapped on the country if Rocky — whose real name is Rakim Mayers — was not released. 

Rocky was arrested in July 2019 and held in jail for a month after being involved in a fight prior to a scheduled appearance at a Stockholm music festival.

Trump quickly came to the “L$D” rapper’s defense, posting on Twitter that he would “personally vouch” for Rocky’s bail — even though the Scandinavian country does not allow the practice of posting bail.

“Just had a very good call with @SwedishPM Stefan Löfven who assured me that American citizen A$AP Rocky will be treated fairly,” Trump tweeted on July 20, 2019. “Likewise, I assured him that A$AP was not a flight risk and offered to personally vouch for his bail, or an alternative.

A$AP Rocky
A$AP Rocky was arrested in Sweden in 2019 after being involved in a fight. Taylor Hill/Getty Images

“Our teams will be talking further, and we agreed to speak again in the next 48 hours!”

Following the call, Löfven’s office said, “The Prime Minister made sure to point out … the government neither can nor will try to influence the judicial process.”

Not long after, Trump said he was “very disappointed” in Löfven over the lack of movement in the case. 

“Very disappointed in Prime Minister Stefan Lovfen for being unable to act. Sweden has let our African American Community down in the United States,” the 45th president posted. “I watched the tapes of ASAP Rocky, and he was being followed and harassed by troublemakers. Treat Americans fairly. #FreeRocky.”

Ultimately, Rocky was released and traveled back to the US on Aug. 2, 2019, before being convicted of assault and given a suspended sentence 12 days later.

Johansson revealed this week that during the discussions with the White House, Trump revealed he had approached the European Commission, the European Union’s executive body, for support.

“This story demonstrates how important it really is to stand up for our legal principles and not to take our democracy for granted,” said Johansson, who has been Sweden’s justice minister since 2014.

Donald Trump
Then-President Trump reportedly threatened a trade war over the rapper’s arrest. Saul Martinez/Getty Images

“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?”

A representative for Trump did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.

The furor was unexpectedly referenced during Trump’s first impeachment that November, when a witness testified to the House Intelligence Committee that then-US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland told Trump he should “let [Rocky] get sentenced, play the racism card and give him a ticker-tape [parade] when he comes home.”