Andrew Tate claims he is 'misunderstood' as he touches down in the US despite sex trafficking charges
27 February 2025, 18:47
Andrew Tate said he is “misunderstood” as he touched down in Florida after being allowed to leave Romania.
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Tate, alongside his brother Tristan, set off on a flight to the US from Bucharest on Thursday morning after a travel ban imposed on the pair during a human trafficking investigation was lifted.
It is believed the Trump administration pressed the Romanian government to lift travel restrictions on the brothers earlier this month.
Despite this, Trump said he “knew nothing” about the Tate brothers when pressed on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters outside Fort Lauderdale airport, Florida, alongside his brother Tristan, Tate said: "We live in a democratic society where it's innocent until proven guilty and I think my brother and I are largely misunderstood.
Read more: Andrew Tate and brother leave Romania after White House pressure as ‘travel ban lifted’
"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."
As the influencer, who last year was arrested on human trafficking and rape charges, landed in the US, it emerged Romania had returned all his confiscated belongings to him.
Romania's anti-organised crime agency, DIICOT, said prosecutors had approved a "request to modify the obligation preventing the defendants from leaving Romania".
DIICOT added: "These include the requirement to appear before judicial authorities whenever summoned.
"The defendants have been warned that deliberately violating these obligations may result in judicial control being replaced with a stricter deprivation of liberty measure."
Four women who have accused Tate of rape and coercive control and have brought a civil claim against him in the UK said the news has left them "retraumatised".
In a joint statement, they said: "We are in disbelief and feel retraumatised by the news that the Romanian authorities have given in to pressure from the Trump administration to allow Andrew Tate to travel around Europe and to the US.
"We can only hope that the British authorities finally take action, do something about this terrifying unfolding situation and ensure he faces justice in the UK."
The brothers were initially arrested in December 2022.
In Romania, the Tate brothers are facing allegations of trafficking minors, sexual intercourse with a minor and money laundering.
A separate case against them, in which they are accused of human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women, has been sent back to prosecutors.
In the UK, Bedfordshire Police secured a European arrest warrant for separate allegations of rape and human trafficking.
Those allegations, which the two brothers "unequivocally deny", date back to 2012-2015.
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Downing Street would not be drawn into saying whether Andrew Tate should be extradited to the UK, after he left Romania for the USA.
A No 10 spokesman 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 spokesman would not reveal whether Sir Keir Starmer would raise the case when he meets US President Donald Trump on Thursday.
Asked if the Prime Minister wanted to see Tate extradited to Britain, the spokesman added: "It is a longstanding policy that we never comment on that type of thing."
