Trump offers to bail rapper... in no-bail Sweden

A$AP Rocky has denied assault, saying he was acting in self-defence. File photo: AFP

US President Donald Trump has offered to guarantee the bail of rapper A$AP Rocky, after Swedish police detained him on suspicion of assault following a street brawl.



Trump intervened after an appeal to him from rapper Kanye West and his wife Kim Kardashian.



The president tweeted that he had spoken with Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, who gave assurances that the singer would be treated fairly. "Likewise, I assured him that A$AP was not a flight risk and offered to personally vouch for his bail, or an alternative," Trump wrote.



There is no system of bail in Sweden.



Trump said he and Lofven had agreed to speak again over the next 48 hours.



Lofven's spokesman Toni Eriksson described the 20-minute phone call as "friendly and respectful".



The prime minister "made certain to emphasise the complete independence of the Swedish judicial system, prosecutors and courts," Eriksson said.



"He underlined that in Sweden everyone is equal before the law and that the government cannot and will not attempt to influence the legal proceedings." (AFP)