The Swedish prime minister, Stefan Lofven, told President Trump in a phone call on Saturday that the rapper ASAP Rocky, who has been detained in Sweden on an assault charge, will not get any special treatment, according to a statement from the Swedish government.
Mr. Trump had sought Rocky’s release after being pressed by American celebrities, including the rapper Kanye West.
Toni Eriksson, Mr. Lofven’s press secretary, told The Associated Press that the phone call lasted about 20 minutes and was “friendly and respectful.”
Mr. Lofven was said to have “underlined that in Sweden everyone is equal before the law and that the government cannot and will not attempt to influence the legal proceedings,” The A.P. reported.
Mr. Trump said on Twitter on Saturday that he had a “very good call” with Mr. Lofven and that he told the prime minister Rocky was not a flight risk. Mr. Trump said he would “personally vouch” for Rocky’s bail if he were released. He said Mr. Lofven had told him Rocky would be “treated fairly.”
“Our teams will be talking further, and we agreed to speak again in the next 48 hours,” Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Trump, whose recent attacks on four congresswomen of color were condemned as racist by the House of Representatives, has said that his African-American friends had asked him to intervene in Rocky’s case.
Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, is accused of assaulting a man on June 30 while on tour in Stockholm. He has been detained as the authorities investigate.
On Friday, a court in Stockholm approved a request from prosecutors to detain Rocky for at least six more days. Another hearing, on July 25, will determine whether he should be detained further.
Sweden’s government has faced accusations of racism and humans rights abuses for the rapper’s detention. There has been strong opposition from celebrities including Justin Bieber, Diddy and Tyler, the Creator, who said in a tweet, “No more Sweden for me, ever.”
Representative Adriano Espaillat, a New York Democrat representing Harlem, said in a joint statement with other House members that “the incident serves as yet another example of the racially motivated focus and prejudices young men of color are subjected to around the world.”
Rocky has said he acted in self-defense.
In a clip posted on Instagram, he and his entourage repeatedly tell two men to stop following them. In a video clip published by Aftonbladet, a Swedish newspaper, Rocky appears to lift one of the men off his feet and throw him to the ground. Another clip posted by TMZ appeared to show the rapper and two members of his entourage punch and kick the man.
Mihir Zaveri covers breaking news from New York. Before joining The Times in 2018 he was a reporter for The Houston Chronicle.
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