Why does Donald Trump care about A$AP Rocky?

How his friendship with Kanye has geopolitical consequences.

An episode of the Beyond Today podcast, hosted by BBC Radio 4, titled "Why does Donald Trump care about A$AP Rocky?" was published on July 31, 2019 and runs 17 minutes.

July 31, 2019 ·17m · Beyond Today

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Summary

US rapper A$AP Rocky went on trial in Sweden this week, accused of assaulting a 19-year-old in Stockholm.Donald Trump has publicly called for his release online, tweeting “Give A$AP Rocky his FREEDOM. We do so much for Sweden but it doesn’t seem to work the other way around. Sweden should focus on its real crime problem! #FreeRocky”. The US president has also spoken to the Swedish prime minister about the case.But why does Donald Trump care about the rapper’s arrest? And how has his intervention gone down in Sweden?We speak to Maddy Savage, who has been covering events in Stockholm for the BBC. We also hear from Congressman Adriano Espaillat, who represents the New York district where A$AP Rocky was born, and from Eugene Scott, a writer on identity issues for the Washington Post.Producers: Duncan Barber and Daniel Kraemer. Mixed by Nicolas Raufast. Editor: Philly Beaumont.

Episode Description

US rapper A$AP Rocky went on trial in Sweden this week, accused of assaulting a 19-year-old in Stockholm.

Donald Trump has publicly called for his release online, tweeting “Give A$AP Rocky his FREEDOM. We do so much for Sweden but it doesn’t seem to work the other way around. Sweden should focus on its real crime problem! #FreeRocky”.

The US president has also spoken to the Swedish prime minister about the case.

But why does Donald Trump care about the rapper’s arrest? And how has his intervention gone down in Sweden?

We speak to Maddy Savage, who has been covering events in Stockholm for the BBC. We also hear from Congressman Adriano Espaillat, who represents the New York district where A$AP Rocky was born, and from Eugene Scott, a writer on identity issues for the Washington Post.

Producers: Duncan Barber and Daniel Kraemer. Mixed by Nicolas Raufast. Editor: Philly Beaumont.