Andrew Tate and brother Tristan flee Romania for US on private jet
He did not respond to journalists asking if Trump had helped get the ban lifted.
Their arrival at Fort Lauderdale after a 12-hour flight now risks overshadowing Starmer’s talks in Washington with Trump on Ukraine on Thursday.
DeSantis, a Republican, told reporters, “Florida is not a place where you’re welcome with that type of conduct”.
“I don’t know how it came to this. We were not involved. We were not notified. I found out through the media.”
He said it was up to the federal government to decide whether the Tates were allowed to enter the US.
But he added, “Our attorney general, James Uthmeier, is looking into what state hooks and jurisdictions we have to deal with this”.
Trump and DeSantis have clashed in the past. Their relationship soured after DeSantis ran in the presidential primary campaign but improved after he endorsed Trump.
Earlier this week, DeSantis suggested his wife could succeed him when his term ends next year. This could lead to tensions with Trump because he has endorsed another candidate.
Romania returned the passports of Andrew, 38, and Tristan, 36, both UK-US nationals who grew up in Luton, and granted them permission to travel, which has led to victims’ fears they will never face justice.
In 2023, prosecutors said they had seized 15 luxury vehicles and more than 10 properties and other assets belonging to the suspects in case they were sold or hidden. A spokesperson for the brothers said they had also been returned to them.
Romanian prosecutors said the cases for human trafficking and rape against them were still active and that they must still attend court hearings in the country. The Prime Minister has previously denied being put under pressure by the US to relax the travel ban.
In Britain, four of the alleged victims called on the Prime Minister to challenge the Trump administration and said they were “retraumatised” by their apparent escape from justice.
On Thursday, the plane believed to be carrying the self-styled “king of toxic masculinity” and his brother was the most tracked in the world on FlightRadar24, a popular flight-tracking website.
Properties, vehicles, bank accounts, and company shares have been returned to the Tates after they were allowed to leave Romania, a spokesperson for them said.
Sources in Bucharest told the BBC and Romanian media that the Tate brothers left Banesa airport at about 5am local time and were flying to Florida on their American passports.
Images appearing to be of Tristan Tate, 36, seen waving as he boards a private jet in the early hours, were widely circulated online and in local media.
The Tates were barred from leaving Romania while under investigation for trafficking women, including minors, across Romania, the UK, and the US.
They were released from house arrest last month but the travel ban, which lasted for almost two and a half years, was only lifted after US Government pressure in early February.
The Romanian special prosecutor’s service said the case against the brothers had not been dropped. If the Tates missed any court hearing they would face “a higher measure of deprivation of liberty”, it said, The next hearing is at the end of March.
In March, a court in Bucharest said the Tates, who are vocal Trump supporters, could be extradited to the UK but only once the Romanian cases had been concluded.
British accusers feel ‘retraumatised’
They were accused of rape, coercive control and assault in a separate civil case in the High Court brought by four British women.
“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,” they said in a joint statement.
“It is clear that he will now not face criminal prosecution for his alleged crimes in Romania; he will use it as an opportunity to harass further and intimidate witnesses and his accusers, and he will continue to spread his violent, misogynistic doctrine around the world.”
The statement added: “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.”
Matthew Jury, the victims’ solicitor at McCue Jury & Partners, said: “Trump isn’t just interfering in due process in Romania but in the UK.”
“It would be embarrassing for the UK Government and a complete abdication of its responsibility to the victims if it stands by and lets this continue.”
Nick Vamos, head of business crime at Peters & Peters and a former head of extradition at the CPS said: “The Tates are outspoken Trump fans who have received public support from his inner circle.”
He told The Telegraph: “President Trump has already personally directed cases to be dropped against his political supporters and allies so, if he wanted to protect the Tates, there is every reason to think he could personally intervene to bar their extradition, either back to Romania or to the UK.”
Elon Musk, an ally of Trump, had accused Starmer of failing to prosecute child grooming gangs in the past, Jury said.
The solicitor accused the Trump administration of choosing “to champion the Tates who are alleged to be some of modern times’ most prolific human traffickers and serial rapists”.
Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, recently warned the US not to interfere in the Tate case.
He posted on X: “They must face our justice system. No obstacles should be placed in the way of UK authorities. The Government must make that clear to US counterparts.”
Andrew Tate describes himself as a misogynist. He moved to Romania after starting a webcam business in the UK.
He made a short-lived appearance on Big Brother but was dumped from the reality show after alleged footage of him beating a woman appeared online.
The former professional kickboxer built up a huge online following giving tips to men on how to be successful and urging them to reject feminism.
He has claimed women should “bear responsibility” for rape, can’t drive and are men’s property.
Andrew’s account Cobratate on X has more than 10 million followers but he is banned from other social media platforms.
After Trump won the US presidential election, Andrew posted “THE PATRIARCHY IS BACK” on social media and said women should not be allowed to vote.
He predicted the case in Romania would be dismissed and told his followers to “watch this space”.
Richard Grenell, a US special envoy, is believed to have brought up the issue of the Tates with Emil Hurezeanu, the Romanian foreign minister, at the Munich Security Conference.
Grenell said he supported the Tate brothers “as evident by my publicly available tweets” but had “no substantive conversation” with Hurezeanu at the summit.
Romanian prosecutors have confirmed that Andrew Tate was accused of rape after the brothers were arrested in Romania, where they lived, in December 2022.
The men were accused of forming an organised crime group, money laundering, trafficking and sexual misconduct.
Seven women said they believed they were entering into a relationship with the brothers but found themselves in a compound in Bucharest.
According to court papers, they say they were then forced to appear in pornographic videos that were uploaded online.
Prosecution in another case against them started seven months ago but has not been sent to trial. It involves sexual intercourse with a minor, organised crime and human trafficking.
In December British authorities seized more than £2 million ($4.5m) from the Tates after they failed to pay any tax on £21m from their online businesses, which is now held in seven frozen accounts.
“This isn’t justice, it’s a co-ordinated attack on those who challenge the system,” Andrew Tate said at the time.
Trump heavyweights including Musk and JD Vance, the US Vice-President, criticised Romania after police detained Călin Georgescu, the far-right presidential frontrunner.
“They just arrested the person who won the most votes in the Romanian presidential election. This is messed up,” Musk said on X.
Police took Georgescu in for questioning over the first round of November’s presidential election, which he won amid suspicions of Russian interference. The result was annulled by the constitutional court.
