Andrew Tate gained fame for his powerful masculinity message, which positioned men as more legitimate rulers than women. From a Romanian base, he promised to help guide men through the “Matrix.” This was his conspiratorial term for the world that he would unfairly demonize, calling criminal charges against him evidence of persecution.
Now, the sudden arrival of Mr. Tate of Florida and his brother Tristan Tate surprised women's rights groups and women who say they were killed by their brothers.
Questions about whether the Tates are merely added to concerns that ideology will flourish even as US officials face separate investigations in Romania and the UK.
Here's what you need to know about their response to their arrival in the country.
The accuser called the move a “slap in the face.”
“Their power felt like they were boundaries,” said Dani Pinter, a lawyer representing American women who accused the Tate brothers of luring her into Romania and exploiting her.
Clients who sued their brothers in a Florida courthouse were “terribly shocked” that they came to the state, said Pinter, senior vice president of the National Center for Sexual Exploitation.
Upon arrival, Pinter called it “a face-to-face slap on the Tate brothers, especially all the victims of the US victims who are not protected by her country.”
The brothers have been detained in Romania since 2022, but were first accused of having sex offences with the intention of forming criminal groups to exploit them for financial gain and over accusations of sexual offences by British authorities.
They denied any misconduct and sued one of Ms. Pinter's clients for defamation. “We have not yet been convicted of a crime in our lives,” Andrew Tate said after landing in Florida Thursday.
Some people want to be handed over to the UK.
Four British women suing Andrew Tate in the UK urged the British government to immediately request extradition of their brothers on Friday, claiming he had raped and abused him. British authorities have sought arrests for separate criminal charges of rape and human trafficking.
If the government does not request extradition, “it is not just us, but all the UK victims of alleged sexual violence, not only will it fail,” the woman said in a statement. A spokesman for the Home Office, which oversees police and criminal policy, declined to say whether extradition requests were made or received.
“We're really worried that many of their followers feel they're invincible as they watch them grow,” said Christian F. Nunes, president of the National Women's Agency. Officials and others need to respond by being “vocal defenders” for women and girls, she said.
Conservatives split over their US arrival.
The brothers, who were enthusiastic about President Trump, previously found support from his peers, including Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son.
But Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tates is not welcome in Florida, and state Attorney General James Usmier, who is also a Republican, said his office would “preliminary investigations” with his brother. “Florida has zero resistance to human trafficking and violence against women,” Usmeyer said Thursday.
The influencer's lawyer said Thursday that he lobbyed American lawmakers on behalf of his brother, but declined to comment on whether the effort was successful. Romanian officials have denied intervention from US officials in the case.
Still, the ties with the administration worried that women's rights groups would strengthen their views in an environment where the administration targets diversity, equity, inclusion programs and protection against gender discrimination.
The Tate brothers, like Trump, have taken away the real pain that men and boys experience when they suffer from loneliness, suicide, drugs, and the sense that their male identity is demonized, said Cynthia Miller Idris, founder of the Lab of Extreme Extremism Research and Innovation at the University of Washington.
Brothers have access to online communities and courses that promise to teach men how to use women to build wealth.
They provide a story, Dr. Miller Idris said, “You can go back to the top – all you have to do is rule over women.”
“To some extent, it feels like a lot of boys and guys are saying things that no one else has to say,” she said.
They are still facing investigations.
What will happen now with the brothers in the US remains unknown. The brother's attorney, Joseph McBride, did not respond to a request for comment Friday.
Romanian prosecutors did not name their brothers, but said that two British American citizens who were allowed to leave Romania must appear before the court when they are summoned. Although the charges against them in Romania have been withdrawn, investigations into sex trafficking charges remain active.
Sylvia Tabska, a law lecturer at the Romanian American University of Bucharest, said it was legal to lift the travel ban on the Tate Brothers without aggressive indictment.
“If they haven't returned, they will face international warrants and international action,” she said.
But the US could decide to protect them by arguing that Romanian's judicial system is not fair, she said.
Vice President JD Vance criticized Romanian democracy in a speech in Germany last month after Romania invalidated the results of the presidential election after spotting signs of Russian interference.
Nevertheless, Tabska said the Romanian investigation is likely to continue, even if it exists, as he faces a lengthy prison sentence for allegations his brothers may face. “They haven't escaped these accusations,” she said.
She said she has not seen whether the brothers will return to Romania for a court hearing scheduled later this month.
