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Andrew Tate says he is 'misunderstood' after arriving in US

A self-described misogynist, Andrew Tate has gained millions of fans on social media by promoting an ultra-masculine lifestyle
A self-described misogynist, Andrew Tate has gained millions of fans on social media by promoting an ultra-masculine lifestyle

Andrew Tate has said he is "misunderstood" and criticised "media spin" in a statement after landing in the US.

Speaking to reporters outside Fort Lauderdale airport, Florida, alongside his brother, he said: "We live in a democratic society where it's innocent until proven guilty and I think my brother and I are largely misunderstood.

"There's a lot of opinions about us, a lot of things that go around about us on the internet.

"We've yet to be convicted of any crime in our lives ever, we have no criminal record anywhere on the planet, ever.

"Our case was dismissed on the 19th of December in Romania under the Biden administration, and our prosecutor recently decided, because we have no active indictment in court, to let us go and return.

"This is a democratic society.

"It's supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, as my brother and I are, and I think it's extremely important that we stop allowing media spin, wrap up smears, lies, or carefully constructed narratives from George Soros-funded operations trying to destroy the reputations of good people who have no intention to do anything other than follow the law."

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Romanian prosecutors allege that former kickboxer Andrew, 38, his brother Tristan, 36, and two women set up a criminal organisation in Romania and Britain in early 2021 and sexually exploited several victims.

The brothers, who have British and American nationality, insist they are innocent.

The Romanian organised crime unit DIICOT said the two brothers, who left for the US together, remained "under judicial supervision" and had to "appear before the judicial authorities at every summons".

"Violation in bad faith of the obligations incumbent on them may lead to the replacement of judicial control with a higher custodial measure," DIICOT said.

Romanian aviation news media BoardingPass said "a Gulfstream G550 private jet took off from Bucharest, Romania, bound for Fort Lauderdale" just after 6am local time (4am Irish time).

"The flight ... will be operated non-stop and will last 12 hours," it added.

Four British women who have accused Andrew Tate of rape voiced concern last week that the US government might push Romania to ease their travel restrictions.

The Financial Times said US President Donald Trump's administration brought up Mr Tate's case with Romanian authorities earlier this month, calling for Bucharest to return the brothers' passports.

In August 2024, a court in Romania ordered that Andrew Tate be placed under house arrest after he was taken into custody as part of an investigation into human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

That house arrest was lifted in January and replaced with a lighter preventative measure pending the outcome of the criminal investigation, according to his spokesperson.

Tate accusers urged US not to get involved

Romanian Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu said Mr Trump's envoy Richard Grenell raised the case with him at the Munich Security Conference earlier in February.

The four women, who are bringing a civil case against Mr Tate at the High Court in the UK accusing him of rape and coercive control between 2013 and 2016, urged Washington not to get involved.

"These are women who are the victims of the most horrible and horrific alleged crimes," the victims' UK lawyer Matthew Jury told BBC Newsnight.

"And to see the most powerful man in the world support their alleged abuser is incredibly traumatising. It's retraumatising for them. It's gaslighting of a sort," he added.

Andrew Tate moved to Romania years ago after first starting a webcam business in the UK.

He leapt to fame in 2016 when he first appeared on the UK's Big Brother reality television show, but was removed after a video emerged showing him attacking a woman.

He then turned to social media platforms to promote his often misogynistic and divisive views on how to be successful.

Banned from Instagram and TikTok for his views, Andrew Tate is followed by more than 10 million people on X watching his homophobic and racist posts.

A Romanian court has granted a British request to extradite the Tate brothers to Britain, but only after legal proceedings in Romania have concluded.

Last year, the Tates were sentenced in a tax fraud case in Britain.

The British government would not be drawn into saying whether Andrew Tate should be extradited to the UK.

A spokesperson said: "This remains a live case, you wouldn't expect us to comment on ongoing legal proceedings.

"This was a decision taken by the Romanian courts independently following due process and their investigation remains in place.

"But more widely, the prime minister has been clear that human trafficking should be viewed as a global security threat, similar to terrorism."

The spokesperson would not reveal whether Keir Starmer would raise the case when he meets Mr Trump.