Trump tells rapper A$AP Rocky to ‘get home ASAP’ after release in Sweden

President Trump on Friday welcomed news that A$AP Rocky was released from prison in Sweden pending a verdict in his assault trial, telling the rapper to “get home ASAP” after a “Rocky Week.”

“A$AP Rocky released from prison and on his way home to the United States from Sweden,” Trump tweeted.

A$AP Rocky released from prison and on his way home to the United States from Sweden. It was a Rocky Week, get home ASAP A$AP!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 2, 2019

The rapper and two members of his entourage accused of assault were released from detention until Aug. 14, when the verdict will be announced in his trial, The Associated Press reported Friday. However, it wasn’t clear whether the individuals could leave the country in the interim, despite Trump’s claim the rapper was headed back to the U.S.

{mosads}Trump has championed the cause of A$AP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, since he was arrested and charged with assault following a June incident in Stockholm. The rapper was charged last week with committing an assault causing actual bodily harm.

The case gained additional traction in the U.S. after Trump said he learned of it from first lady Melania Trump and had discussed it with Kanye West.

The incident has caused something of a diplomatic rift with Sweden, with Trump asking Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven to intervene in the case and Löfven declining. The president last week claimed Sweden “has let our African American Community down in the United States.”

Rocky and two members of his entourage allegedly assaulted Mustafa Jafari over the course of several minutes in the streets of Stockholm in an incident captured on video, but the rapper’s lawyers have insisted it was an act of self-defense and that the group was being harassed.

The AP reported that prosecutors are seeking a six-month jail sentence, while Rocky has said community service would be an appropriate punishment.