Trump's role unclear

Andrew Tate and brother allowed to leave Romania

Andrew Tate (left) and his brother Tristan after landing in Florida

(Bild: AP/Marta Lavandier)

The controversial influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have left Romania and arrived in the USA. The two are being investigated in the south-eastern European country on suspicion of rape and human trafficking. The Romanian authorities have since confirmed that they have been allowed to leave the country.

The media speculated that the new US administration under President Donald Trump may have lobbied for the Tate brothers. The two have both British and American citizenship. Andrew Tate addressed waiting journalists in a brief statement as he and his brother left an airport terminal in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Tate emphasized that neither he nor his brother had ever been convicted of a crime. He accused the media of a smear campaign.

Uncertainty about help from Trump
He did not answer questions as to whether Trump had campaigned for permission to leave the country. The US President told journalists at the White House that he knew nothing about the release of the Tate brothers from Romania. The two are supporters of the Republican. In mid-February, Andrew Tate wrote on X: "The Tates will be free, Trump is the president. The good old days are back. And they'll be better than ever."

Governor: "We are not involved"
According to the governor of Florida, he was not informed about the return of the two. "We are not involved in this. I read about it in the media," said Republican Ron DeSantis when asked at a press conference. DeSantis explained that he did not know how the return journey had come about. In case of doubt, the US government is responsible for "making entry into the USA more difficult". He was "confident" that US Justice Secretary Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem would look into this.

At the same time, the Attorney General of Florida, James Uthmeier, is also exploring possible measures at state level "to deal with this". DeSantis emphasized: "Florida is not a place where you are welcome when such allegations are made."

Suspected rape and sexual exploitation
Tate, a former kickboxer, has reached millions of teenagers and young men with misogynistic statements on social networks. His brother Tristan assisted him. The public prosecutor's office in Romania accuses the two of pressuring women into the production of commercial sex videos.

The investigation led to the identification of at least 34 alleged victims, including a 15-year-old girl. By exploiting the women, the brothers are said to have made a criminal profit of at least 2.8 million dollars (around 2.67 million euros). The two brothers deny all allegations.

The charges against them were declared irregular by the Court of Appeal in Bucharest in December 2023. Prosecution is still ongoing, however, and they are still obliged to comply with summonses issued by the Romanian judiciary. There is also an extradition request for the Tate brothers from the UK on charges of rape and human trafficking.

Romania's judiciary wanted to extradite them to London as soon as the proceedings in Romania were concluded. Civil proceedings are also pending in the UK against the Tates for alleged tax evasion amounting to millions.