How a Manosphere Star Accused of Rape and Trafficking Was Freed

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/10/us/andrew-tate-barron-trump-romania.html

https://archive.ph/AkL8w

How a Manosphere Star Accused of Rape and Trafficking Was Freed
Barred from leaving Romania, Andrew Tate courted powerful figures on the American right, from Tucker Carlson to Barron Trump. Then an extraordinary order let him go.
By Megan Twohey and Isabella Kwai
Published Dec. 10, 2025 Updated Dec. 11, 2025, 4:08 p.m. ET

Days before Donald J. Trump’s return to the White House, Andrew Tate got some good news.

Mr. Tate and his brother, Tristan, swaggering influencers in the so-called manosphere, had been under criminal investigation in Romania since 2022, accused of coercing women into pornography. Andrew was also accused of rape and of having sex with and beating a 15-year-old. The brothers, American and British citizens, had been barred from leaving Romania while prosecutors built their case.

Now, in a Jan. 14 text message, Mr. Tate indicated that help was on the way.

“I had word from The Trump admin that theyre on top of things,” Mr. Tate wrote to someone close to him, in a message reviewed by The New York Times. “Ive been told ill be free soon but Trump needs to see me in Miami,” he added.

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