F irst it was US Vice President JD Vance who unexpectedly called out Romania at the Munich Security Conference last weekend for allegedly undermining its democracy by annulling its presidential elections. Then, South African-born billionaire Elon Musk went on his platform X to show support for ultra-nationalist presidential candidate Calin Georgescu, after invisible campaign gerrymandering caused the vote to be annulled as Romanian authorities suspect Russian interference in the elections.
Now, Trump's special envoy Richard Grenell has taken an interest in Andrew Tate, a self-described misogynist influencer who is facing criminal charges in Bucharest, raising the topic of lifting the travel ban against him and his brother Tristan with Romania's Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu in Munich.
No pressure, just a chat, Romanian foreign minister said. Andrew and Tristan Tate, both dual UK-US nationals, were arrested in Romania in on charges of human trafficking, sexual misconduct, money laundering, and starting an organised crime group. They have denied the charges. In January, an appeals court sent the pair's case back to prosecutors, and they were released from house arrest. They are not allowed to leave the country. Romanian authorities are currently carrying out a separate investigation into the brothers and have ruled they could be extradited to the UK, where they are wanted as part of an investigation into allegations of rape and human trafficking.
Last week, a woman in the US accused the Tates of conspiring to lure her to Romania, coerce her into sex work and defame her after she gave testimony to Romanian authorities. The Tate brothers have millions of followers online, where they promote male superiority and what they call an "alpha" lifestyle. Online and in interviews, Andrew Tate has expressed myriad sexist views, claiming that women "bear responsibility" for being sexually assaulted and that there was "no such thing as an independent female".
He was barred from several online platforms because of concerns that he was negatively influencing the other users. He is still active on X, with over 10 million followers. Both brothers are particularly popular in the so-called "manosphere" which some have credited for playing a role in Trump's re-election. In November, Tristan Tate boasted that the brothers were instrumental in bringing Trump to the White House, posting on X that "millions of young men in Europe and the US have a healthy rightwing approach to politics that they would not have if Andrew Tate had never appeared on their phone screens.
