Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has warned controversial influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan they are “not welcome” in the Sunshine State after they arrived there when Romania lifted travel restrictions for the pending criminal case against them.
“Florida is not a place where you’re welcome with that type of conduct,” DeSantis said at a press conference in response to a reporter’s question about the Tate brothers.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, meanwhile, launched a “preliminary inquiry” into the Tate brothers, he said in a statement on X on Thursday.
“Florida has zero tolerance for human trafficking and violence against women. If any of these alleged crimes trigger Florida jurisdiction, we will hold them accountable,” the Florida AG wrote.
DeSantis denied that state officials OKed the arrival of the self-described misogynists.
“We have no involvement in that. I read about it through the media,” he said.
Andrew, 38, and Tristan, 36, left Romania on Wednesday, where they were awaiting trial for charges of sex trafficking and forming a criminal gang to exploit women sexually.
They deny all charges.
Their plane landed in Fort Lauderdale at around noon, a spokesperson for the brothers, Mateea Petrescu, told AP.
DeSantis added on Thursday that Florida’s AG is exploring legal options on what to do with the pair.
“Our Attorney General, James Uthmeier, is looking into what state hooks and jurisdictions we have to deal with this,” he told reporters.
The reason for the lifting of travel restrictions is unclear, although prosecutors in the Eastern European nation approved a “request to modify the obligation preventing the defendants from leaving Romania,” the country’s anti-organized crime agency DIICOT said in a statement on Thursday.
Romania’s Prime Minister has denied reports that the Trump administration put pressure on authorities there to let the Tate brothers leave the country.
“The United States of America has made no request to Romania regarding the legal status of certain well-known foreign influencers under investigation by Romanian authorities. There were no such requests during the discussion between the Foreign Ministry and Richard Grenell, nor afterward,” Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu wrote in a post on X last Tuesday, following his meeting with the Special Presidential Envoy.
President Trump has denied knowing anything about the Tates coming to the US in comments on Thursday.
“I know nothing about that. We’ll check it out. We’ll let you know,” he told reporters in the Oval Office.
Andrew and Tristan — who are dual US-British citizens — were arrested in late 2022 and formally indicted last year on charges they participated in a criminal sex ring that lured women to Romania.
Separately, four women have accused Andrew Tate of rape and coercive control, and have brought a civil case against him in the UK, where he was born.
“We are in disbelief and feel re-traumatized by the news that the Romanian authorities have given into pressure from the Trump administration to allow Andrew Tate to travel around Europe and to the US,” the women said in a joint statement on Thursday.
In December, a court ruled that the case against the Tate brothers couldn’t go to trial due to multiple legal and procedural irregularities from prosecutors.
However, the case against the pair remains open and they face another ongoing investigation in Romania.
Andrew Tate, a former professional kickboxer and reality TV star, has built an online following of millions through his controversial statements seen by many as misogynistic and racist.
He also runs an online academy where he promises to teach young men how to get rich and pick up women.
Both are avid supporters of Donald Trump, while Senior White House advisor Elon Musk has also backed the pair recently on X.
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