The president announced on Friday that he has every intention of freeing A$AP Rocky from jail in Sweden where he was being held for suspicion of assault. The rapper was arrested earlier this month after a street fight that was caught on video in Stockholm while he was on a European tour.
In a mind-boggling press conference in the White House, Donald Trump felt the need to mention Rocky’s race while announcing he has “already started” talking to Swedish officials to arrange the release.
I personally don’t know A$AP Rocky, but I can tell you he has tremendous support from the African American community in this country,” Trump said in the Oval Office surrounded by the likes of Vice President Mike Pence and first lady Melania Trump. “When I say African American, I think I can really say from everybody in this country because we’re all one.”
https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1152413065671036929
However, Sweden denied that the White House had made any contact about the matter, casting some doubt on Trump’s words.
That denial came after Sweden seemed to indicate that an indictment was all but imminent.
Trump got involved in the ordeal after his new go-to social justice maven Kim Kardashian and her pro-MAGA husband Kanye West appealed to the president to help.
Even the Congressional Black Caucus, as well as the Department of State, were demanding Rocky’s release from jail conditions that have been described as “inhumane.” Those calls came after an online petition was launched and the Rev. Al Sharpton spoke out in response to Rocky’s mother asking him for help.
Meanwhile, Twitter users got to thinking about the entire situation and seemed to wonder whether Trump’s involvement was sincere (unlikely) or another political ploy to endear himself to Black voters as he ramps up his re-election efforts that have been heavily influenced by the issue of race, especially as of late (racist tweets, anyone?). It wasn’t that long ago that Trump happily took credit for having LiAngelo Ball released from detention in China, where the then-college basketball player was arrested for stealing from a Louis Vuitton store in November 2017. Even though Trump’s actual involvement was highly questionable, he demanded praise. Nearly two years later, it’s a safe bet that Trump will want the same from Rocky.
If Trump were to take credit for negotiating Rocky’s release, whether he actually did it or not, Twitter users sounded off about how awkward that thank you from the rapper would be. Especially considering it was only three years ago when Rocky dismissed social justice activism, the Black Lives Matter “bandwagon” and Sharpton in a profanity-laced interview with the Breakfast Club.
Scroll down to see some of the more colorful tweets about an ugly situation that could actually turn out to help Trump at the polls next year.
