Andrew Tate gained notoriety for promoting forceful masculinity that emphasized male dominance over women. Operating from Romania, he offered to lead men through what he called “the Matrix,” a world he believed unfairly targeted men, and dismissed the criminal charges against him as persecution.
The sudden appearance of Mr. Tate and his brother Tristan Tate in Florida has raised concerns among women’s rights organizations and women who claim to have been victimized by the brothers.
Efforts by U.S. officials to assist the Tates have heightened worries that their ideology will persist, despite facing investigations in Romania and Britain.
Find out more about the reactions to their arrival in the country.
Accusers called the move a ‘slap in the face.’
“It felt like their power knows no bounds,” said Dani Pinter, a lawyer representing an American woman who accused the Tate brothers of luring her to Romania for exploitation.
The client, who has filed a lawsuit against the brothers in a Florida court, was “terrified and shocked” by their presence in the state, according to Ms. Pinter, a senior vice president at the National Center on Sexual Exploitation.
Following their arrival, Ms. Pinter condemned it as “a slap in the face to all the victims of the Tate brothers, particularly the U.S. victim who lacks protection from her country.”
The brothers had been detained in Romania since 2022, initially on charges of forming a criminal group to exploit women for financial gain and later on sex crime allegations from British authorities.
Despite these accusations, they maintain their innocence and have countersued one of Ms. Pinter’s clients for defamation.
Some want them extradited to Britain.
Four British women who sued Andrew Tate in the UK over allegations of rape and abuse are calling on the British government to request the brothers’ extradition from the United States.
Failure to seek extradition could result in “failing all British victims of alleged sexual violence,” according to the women. The British Home Office declined to confirm whether an extradition request had been made or received.
Concerns have been raised that the brothers’ association with the administration may bolster their views, particularly in a climate where diversity and protections against gender discrimination are targeted.
Conservatives were divided about their U.S. arrival.
While the brothers have received support from President Trump and his allies, some Republicans like Gov. Ron DeSantis and state attorney general James Uthmeier have expressed opposition to their presence in Florida.
They still face investigations.
The next steps for the brothers in the United States are uncertain, as their lawyer, Joseph McBride, did not respond to inquiries. While Romanian prosecutors did not name the brothers, investigations related to sex trafficking allegations are ongoing.
If they do not return, international action may be taken against them, although the U.S. could argue against Romania’s judicial system.
Vice President JD Vance criticized Romania’s democracy recently, but legal expert Silvia Tabusca believes that the brothers’ absence will not absolve them of potential charges that carry significant prison terms.
The investigation in Romania is expected to continue even in their absence, and it remains to be seen whether they will return for a scheduled court hearing.
Professor Cynthia Miller-Idriss notes that the Tate brothers, like Mr. Trump, exploit men’s struggles to promote their ideology. They sell access to online communities and courses that teach men how to use women for financial gain.
Their narrative, according to Dr. Miller-Idriss, revolves around the idea of dominating women to regain power, resonating with some who feel marginalized by mainstream discourse.