On Thursday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis made it clear that controversial online influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate are not welcome in the Sunshine State.
The brothers landed in Fort Lauderdale from Romania on Thursday after facing criminal charges of sexual misconduct in the European country. Andrew Tate has amassed millions of online followers and is widely known for his misogynistic views.
Trump’s special envoy, Richard Grenell, reportedly raised their case during a hallway exchange with Romanian Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu at the Munich Security Conference earlier this month.
However, Gov. DeSantis made it clear his administration played no role in the negotiations and is less than thrilled by their arrival.
During a meeting in the Oval Office on Thursday, President Trump was asked by reporters whether his administration pressured the Romanian government to allow them to travel to the U.S. The president responded by claiming, “I know nothing about that. I don’t know.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer took a more aggressive approach when addressing the issue of the Tate brothers by noting that human trafficking “is a security risk.”
“We have no involvement in that,” DeSantis said of the Tates during a press conference. “I read about it through the media. Clearly, the federal government has jurisdiction. Whether they want to rebuff his entry into the United States, and I have confidence that — whether it’s Pam Bondi or Kristi Noem — that they will be looking at that.”
“I do know our attorney general, James Uthmeier, is looking at what state and jurisdiction we may have to be able to deal with this. But the reality is, is no, Florida is not a place where we’re where you’re welcome with that with us — that type of conduct. I’m in the air, and I don’t know how it came to this. We were not involved. We were not notified. I found out through the media that this was something that was happening.“
Romanian authorities arrested Andrew, 37, and Tristan, 35, in December 2022 over allegations of rape, human trafficking and forming a criminal enterprise, charges the brothers vehemently deny. (RELATED: Internet Celebrity Andrew Tate Arrested on Human Trafficking Charges)
Romanian authorities allege Tate, and his brother Tristian, are part of an organized crime ring involved in the sex trafficking of women and rape. At least six women were allegedly held captive by the men and forced to perform pornography for their financial benefit.
Tate, was apprehended after unintentionally revealing his whereabouts in a Twitter feud with climate change activist Greta Thunberg.
Tate had been under investigation for some time but had evaded detention.
In December, a court ruled that the case couldn’t go to trial because of multiple legal and procedural irregularities on the part of the prosecutors. The case, however, remained open, and there is also another ongoing investigation against them in Romania.
Romania’s anti-organized crime agency, DIICOT, said in a statement Thursday that prosecutors approved a request to change the travel restrictions on the Tates, but didn’t say who made the request.
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Did Richard Grenell make a mistake at the Munich Security Conference earlier this month?. How in the hell did they get into this country? I hope Gov. DeSantis can kick them out ASAP. We have enough problems as it is without online sex traffic influencers coming into the country or our state.