Trump 'threatened' Sweden with trade war over release of rapper A$AP Rocky, arrested in Stockholm 

President Donald Trump warned Sweden that he would launch a trade war against the nation if it did not release U.S. rapper A$AP Rocky, the country's justice minister revealed.

A$AP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, was arrested in Stockholm three years ago after he and two bodyguards were filmed beating up a fan in front of a restaurant.

The footage showed three men punching and kicking Mustafa Jafari before "nailing" him with a broken bottle.

Mayers' legal team claimed that Jafari had racially harassed and abused the rapper.

The arrest and detention of the 33-year-old Grammy-nominated rapper in a Stockholm prison cell for more than a month triggered a rare diplomatic dispute between Sweden and the United States.

President Trump tweeted his support for Rocky after his wife Melania and rapper Kanye West briefed him on the case.

"Very disappointed in Prime Minister Stefan Lovfen for failing to act. Sweden has let down our African American community in America,” Trump posted. 

"I watched the ASAP Rocky tapes, and I was being chased and harassed by agitators," he added. “Treat Americans fairly. #FreeRocky."

Swedish Justice Minister Morgan Johansson said yesterday that Trump threatened Sweden with "trade restrictions" if it did not quickly release the rapper.

 Trump also claimed to have contacted the European Commission seeking its support, Johannsson said.

"This story shows how important it really is to stand up for our legal principles and not take our democracy for granted," said the official, who also serves as interior minister and deputy prime minister, in an interview with the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter.

"If you can try to do something like this against Sweden, what are you going to try to do with slightly weaker countries that don't have the European Union behind them?"

Johansson added that Trump was represented by White House counsel Pat Cipollone.

Cipollone was informed that politicians in Sweden had no influence over judicial proceedings under the country's constitution.

The former president tried unsuccessfully to contest Rocky's release on national security grounds.

Mayers was eventually convicted of assault and received a suspended sentence.

The artist is allowed to return to Sweden, but reportedly he has promised not to do so.

Mayers was also arrested in April on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon following a shooting in Hollywood last November. He is currently out on bail and touring with the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Mayers is dating Rihanna, who gave birth to her first child in mid-May.